Bill O’Reilly has re-signed a multi-year deal with FOX News Channel (FNC) to continue hosting The O’Reilly Factor, announced Roger Ailes, Chairman and CEO of FOX News.
In making the announcement, Ailes said, “Bill’s immense talent, intellect and raw convictions are an extremely rare combination in television and exemplify why The O’Reilly Factor has been the number one program in cable news for more than a decade. He is a tremendous force in the business and has helped to make FOX News the success story it is today.”
O’Reilly added, “It’s been great fun in challenging the establishment and exposing the corruption across the nation. The Factor takes pride in holding people accountable and I especially look forward to the exciting news cycle ahead. FOX News has become the primary force in television news under Roger’s leadership and I’m delighted to continue there for years to come.”
Joining FNC in 1996, O’Reilly initially served as host of The O’Reilly Report, which was re-named The O’Reilly Factor when it moved to primetime in 1998. According to Nielsen Media Research, the show has been number one in its 8PM/ET timeslot for 136 consecutive months. Additionally, it has been the most-watched program in all of cable news for 125 consecutive months, having eclipsed Larry King Live in 2000 while dominating every single contender in the genre. Currently averaging 4.5 million viewers daily, the program consistently out rates CNN, MSNBC and HLN combined in both viewership and the 25-54 demographic.
Throughout his reign, O’Reilly continues to be one of the most controversial and frequently discussed television news commentators today. During his more than 15 year tenure at FNC, O’Reilly has conducted countless interviews with prominent newsmakers, including: President Barack Obama, presidential candidate Governor Mitt Romney, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former President George W. Bush, Jon Stewart, Howard Stern, Rosie O’Donnell, Bono, Stephen Colbert and Michael Moore. The Factor has also taken on numerous issues including the mismanagement of the United Way funds following the September 11th terrorist attacks and Jessica’s Law, where O’Reilly led the crusade in calling on every state to pass a version of the law to protect children from sexual predators.
Prior to joining FNC in 1996, he anchored the nationally syndicated program, Inside Edition for six years. His seasoned career in broadcast journalism also includes stints at CBS News, where he was awarded with an Emmy for outstanding investigative reporting, as well as ABC News’ World News Tonight, where his work was recognized with two National Headliner Awards for excellence in reporting. Over the past 10 years, O’Reilly has notably authored six New York Times bestsellers, including the most recent, Killing Lincoln, which was number one on the Times’ list for four consecutive weeks and is currently being adapted into a movie. Additionally, he has written several other New York Times number one bestsellers, including Culture Warrior, The O’Reilly Factor and The No Spin Zone. He is also the author of A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity, The O’Reilly Factor for Kids and Those Who Trespass.
FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news service dedicated to delivering breaking news as well as political and business news. A top five cable network, FNC has been the most watched news channel in the country for more than ten years and according to Public Policy Polling, is the most trusted television news source in the country. Owned by News Corp., FNC is available in more than 90 million homes and dominates the cable news landscape, routinely notching the top ten programs in the genre.
