This is a critical moment in the cable news war

Conservative talker Michael Savage recently wrote, “I predict, right here, right now, that I Michael Savage and the Savage Nation is going to take over The Sean Hannity Show time slot by the end of the year. He’s probably a nice guy, but his time is come and his time has gone.” Savage’s prediction will soon be confirmed, reports Mediaite’s Matt Wilstein.

Forget sparring politicians — the real fight is between the networks that cover them.

The summer of an odd-numbered year may be a slow time for politics, but the same isn’t true for the world of cable news. Indeed, each of the cable news giants seems to be re-imagining itself, changing personnel, and jockeying for position in the run-up to the ratings-gold 2016 campaign season.

Critics think Fox News is inching toward the center. CNN is desperate to reinvent itself. MSNBC, liberal as ever, has seen its ratings tumble. And a new cable news player could upend them all.

The biggest shake up of the summer is at Fox News, where star Megyn Kelly will get the coveted 9 p.m. weekday slot currently occupied by conservative talker Sean Hannity. The Daily Beast’s Lloyd Daily attributed this switch to “the Darwinian dynamics of demographics and ratings.” Daily included this about Fox News boss Roger Ailes’ guarded explanation:

Ailes reaffirmed that “Megyn has earned a better time period. She’ll be in our primetime lineup.”… But Ailes was downright vague about Hannity. He “is a brand that many of our viewers [italics added] love and want to see. And he’s also … probably the nicest guy in the building.” A case of damning with faint praise? It’s doubtful that nice guys finish first in Roger Ailes’ hyper-competitive world. [The Daily Beast]

Ailes insisted that “all of our stars will be back,” and Hannity insisted he’s “very happy” with his undisclosed future Fox role. But make no mistake, Hannity’s star has clearly dimmed. His ratings have declined 35 percent since the election, due partly to his loss of credibility stemming from pre-election shows that featured a parade of GOP pundits — including Dick Morris, the worst pundit since the snake told Eve it was okay to eat the apple — who insisted Mitt Romney would surely be elected president.

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