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As Fox News faces a significant viewership decline, the departure of popular anchor Tucker Carlson has left a gaping hole in their programming. The network has been struggling to keep up with its competitors, as ratings have plummeted since his exit. Without Carlson, the network has seen a sharp decline in the coveted 25-54 demographic and a staggering 45 percent viewership decline overall. Though the network still leads the way against MSNBC and CNN, its recent decline has given other conservative outlets like Newsmax the opportunity to gain a foothold. Let’s dive in.

Fox News, once the premier conservative news network in the country, is now in freefall without its top anchor, Tucker Carlson. The network’s ratings have plummeted in the wake of Carlson’s departure, leaving many viewers wondering if there is any hope left for Fox News.

Since Carlson’s exit, the network’s 8 p.m. hour has seen a significant decrease in viewership, dropping from an average of three million viewers to just 1.65 million viewers. This steep decline is largely due to the fact that the hour was previously dominated by Carlson, who is widely known for his conservative commentary and incisive analysis of political issues. In Carlson’s absence, the network has struggled to find a suitable replacement, turning to the likes of Brian Kilmeade and Lawrence Jones, both of whom have failed to capture the same level of audience interest and enthusiasm.

The statistics are grim. On Wednesday of last week, Kilmeade’s 8 p.m. hour received an average of only 1.3 million viewers, a far cry from the 3 million viewers that Carlson enjoyed just one week prior. Overall, the network’s viewership has declined by a staggering 45 percent without Carlson in the host’s chair.

But it’s not just the 8 p.m. slot that has suffered without Carlson. The network has also experienced a sharp decline in the 25-54 demographic in the 6 p.m., 7 p.m., and 9 p.m. time slots. This indicates that viewers who once tuned into Fox News for informed conservative commentary and analysis are now turning elsewhere to get their news.

While Fox News still leads its competitors MSNBC and CNN by wide margins, it’s clear that the network is in trouble. Other networks, such as Newsmax, have seen an uptick in viewership, particularly since Carlson’s departure. On the day Carlson was fired, Newsmax’s 8 p.m. offering, hosted by former Fox News host Eric Bolling, drew a competitive 531,000 total viewers, only about 200,000 viewers behind CNN’s 8 p.m. hour.

Newsmax is actually marketing off of Carlson’s exit from Fox, posting images like this to social media calling on Americans to make the switch to Newsmax.

It’s clear that Fox News needs to take swift action if it hopes to salvage its reputation and regain the trust of its viewers. But for viewers who appreciate Carlson’s brand of conservative commentary and analysis, there is still hope. There are plenty of other networks that offer similar perspectives and insights, and it’s just a matter of time before someone steps up to fill the void left by Carlson’s departure from Fox News. The plummeting ratings of the network should come as no surprise to those who have watched the network continue to evolve in recent times. The departure of Tucker Carlson may have been the tipping point for viewers who were finally tired of the network and felt their time could be better spent elsewhere. 

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