Fox News' Sunday morning show, "Fox News Sunday," has not suffered a decline in the ratings since former anchor Chris Wallace announced his departure for CNN's streaming service.
The program even saw a rise in ratings, with the Jan. 23 broadcast raking in the most total viewers and the most viewers aged 25-54 the show has seen since Jan. 24, 2021.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the Jan. 23 episode of the show hosted by "Fox News at Night" anchor Shannon Bream saw a rating increase of 27 percent in the 25-54 demo and a 21 percent rise in total viewers over Wallace's last show on Dec. 12, 2021.
The Jan. 23 show delivered 1,352,000 viewers and 343,000 viewers in the 25-54 demo during the 9 a.m. broadcast. With the cable repeats included, Sunday's show had a total of 1,404,000 viewers and 237,000 with the 25-54 demo.
Bream's broadcast on Sunday featured Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem talking about her state's efforts to prohibit both abortion and biological males competing in girl's sports, and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo addressing his concerns about the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
The uptick in ratings for "Fox News Sunday" comes despite the longtime journalist's departure from Fox News seen among some media critics as a loss for the network.
Frank Sesno, former director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University, told The Hill last month that Wallace leaving Fox News meant that the network "lost a very important and significant part of their brand, but it may be a part of their brand that has fallen out of favor with a large part of their audience."
"His presence gave Fox News some cover to say it was doing some legit journalism and giving everyone a run for their money. His departure deprives them of that," Sesno continued.
And former Fox News contributor Jane Hall told the left-leaning outlet that Wallace's departure signaled a "significant loss for serious news people."
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