Fox News picks Tucker Carlson for 8 p.m. slot

Tucker Carlson is moving into the 8 p.m. hour as Bill O'Reilly exits Fox News while The Five is moving to primetime and Eric Bolling is getting a 5 p.m. show, the network said Wednesday.

Carlson replaced Megyn Kelly when she left last January and his show — Tucker Carlson Tonight — was an immediate hit, helped by record tune-in overall during the early tumultuous days of the administration of Donald Trump. Talk show host Laura Ingraham also was among those being considered for O'Reilly's recently vacated time sl.

The parent company of Fox News, 21st Century Fox, confirmed Wednesday that O'Reilly is not returning to the air. "After a thorough and careful review of the allegations, the Company and Bill O'Reilly have agreed that Bill O'Reilly will not be returning to the Fox News Channel," a statement read.

Internal candidates for the 9 p.m. hour had been Dana Perino and Eric Bolling. Both are currently hosts on The Five and have filled in for O'Reilly on The O'Reilly Factor. Factor contributor Jesse Watters and Greg Gutfeld were seen as dark horse contenders.

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Read more: Fox News Confirms That Bill O'Reilly Won't Return to Air

But some executives would've liked to see some gender diversity in primetime and another internal candidate could be Kimberly Guilfoyle. When Megyn Kelly left last January, executives discussed moving Martha MacCallum to 9 p.m., but the host is said to have expressed a desire to maintain her daytime schedule.

A representative for Fox News did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Meanwhile executives at 21st Century Fox and Fox News concluded that Bill O'Reilly will exit the network where he has presided as the No. 1 cable news personality for 15 years. The movement comes as the Murdoch family - patriarch Rupert and sons James and Lachlan, who have day-to-day oversight of 21st Century Fox - are in agreement about O'Reilly's fate.

Representatives for 21st Century Fox declined to comment.

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O'Reilly's ratings reign atop cable news has been virtually uncontested throughout his tenure. Through the first quarter of 2017, his 8 p.m. hour ranked No. 1 by both key measures with an average 3.98 million viewers and 728,000 adults 25-54. March and April have brought increased demo wins for MSNBC's resurgent Rachel Maddow, who airs at 9 p.m, but O'Reilly's total audience has never been in doubt.

Tucker Carlson has developed a swift following at Fox News. He wasn't even in primetime at the top of the year, but his move to Megyn Kelly's old 9 o'clock hour has been a huge success. He's now No. 2 in cable news with an average 3.3 million viewers and 689,000 adults 25-54.

April 19, 12 pm Updated with 21st Century Fox confirmation of O'Reilly's exit and Carlson's confirmed new time.

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