The 1/2 Hour News Hour

infobox television
show_name = The 1/2 Hour News Hour


caption =
format = Comedy
runtime = 30 minutes
creator =
starring = Kurt Long
Jennifer Robertson
Manny Coto
Ned Rice
Dennis Miller
country = United States
network = Fox News Channel
first_aired = February 18, 2007
last_aired = September 23, 2007
num_episodes = 17
website = http://www.foxnews.com/halfhournewshour/index.html
tv_com_id = 70291
imdb_id = 0887788

"The 1/2 Hour News Hour" was an American television news satire show on the Fox News Channel. The program presented news stories from a conservative perspective, using a satirical format pioneered by "Saturday Night Live"'s "Weekend Update", "This Hour Has 22 Minutes", and "The Daily Show".

The first pilot aired on February 18, 2007, and the second on March 4, 2007. Fox News Channel later purchased 13 more episodes of the show, which started airing on May 13, 2007. The show was cancelled and the final episode aired on September 23, 2007. [http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/fnc/half_hour_news_hour_shelved_65085.asp?c=rss "Half Hour News Hour Shelved" mediabistro.com] ]

Cast and crew of the show included Kurt Long (playing co-anchor Kurt McNally), Jennifer Robertson (playing co-anchor Jennifer Lange), Manny Coto, and Ned Ricecite news|url=http://www.forbes.com/digitalentertainment/2006/11/20/foxnews-conservative-satire-tech-media-cx_1120varietytv.html|title=Fox News Preps News Satire Show|date=2006-11-20|publisher=Forbes] . Longtime "Weekend Update" anchor Dennis Miller was a regular contributor to the program with his "The Buck Starts Here" segment. [ [http://www.tv.com/dennis-miller/person/35736/summary.html?tag=stars;name;2 TV.com profile of Dennis Miller] ]

Background

Originally pitched as "This Just In", the show was turned down by the Fox Broadcasting Company's late-night division before being picked up by Fox News Channel's chief Roger Ailes for a trial run.

This was the first comedy show created by Joel Surnow, a producer best known for his success with the serialized action show "24". His description of the show initially was, "The Daily Show" for conservatives," later expanding upon that description by stating, "You can turn on any show and see Bush being bashed. There really is nothing out there for those who want satire that tilts right."cite news|last=Learmonth|first=Michael|url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117959328.html?categoryid=1300&cs=1|title=FNC takes satire out for spin|date=2007-02-12|publisher=Variety]

Recurring sketches

*"Conspiracy Corner" - segments where a guest presents generally-accepted information about a topic, and that information is treated as far-fetched by the host, who holds stereotypical left-wing views.
*"Guy White: Closet Conservative" — a cartoon featuring a conservative man working in an office in which everyone else is a liberal caricature.
*"Hollywood Helping Humanity" — satirical public service announcements featuring actors endorsing dubious causes, such as recycling breast implants. Actors appearing in this sketch include Leyla Milani, Ken Davitian, Ian Ziering, and Lorenzo Lamas.
*"I'm the ACLU" — satirical advertisements "boasting" of controversial causes supported by the ACLU.
*"Presidential Addresses" — Radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh had a recurring cameo role as the President, with conservative pundit Ann Coulter as his Vice President.

Reception

The broadcast of the pilot episode, which aired on Sunday, February 18, 2007 at 10 p.m., was watched by 1,478,000 viewers. [ [http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/ratings/the_scoreboard_sunday_february_18_53538.asp "The Scoreboard: Sunday, February 18" mediabistro.com] ] The rebroadcast of the same episode one week later was watched by 971,000 people. [ [http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/fnc/12_hour_news_hour_most_watched_program_on_cable_news_sunday_night_54015.asp?c=rss. "1/2 Hour News Hour: 'Most Watched Program' On Cable News Sunday Night" mediabistro.com] ] The second episode on Sunday, March 4 received similar ratings with 1,384,000 viewers.cite news|url=http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/ratings/the_scoreboard_sunday_march_4_54424.asp#more|title=The Scoreboard: Sunday, March 4|date=2007-03-04|publisher=mediabistro.com]

The show's initial two episodes received generally poor reviews. MetaCritic's television division, which produces composite scores based on prominent reviewers' opinions of television pilots, other episodes, and/or DVD releases, [ [http://www.metacritic.com/about/scoring.shtml#tv About Metascores] Metacritic.] gave "The Half Hour News Hour" pilots a score of 12 out of 100, [ [http://www.metacritic.com/tv/shows/halfhournewshour 1/2 Hour News Hour, The.] Metacritic. Retrieved on 2007-06-02.] making it the lowest rated television production ever reviewed on the site. [ [http://www.sfbg.com/entry.php?entry_id=3062&catid=85&volume_id=254&issue_id=284&volume_num=41&issue_num=23 Sankin, Aaron; "The 'ire' in "satire: Conservatives are funny"; "San Francisco Bay Guardian"; March 7, 2007.] ] Despite the pilots' poor reviews, the show continued to lead its time slot in the ratings among cable news networks. [ [http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/ratings/the_scoreboard_sunday_june_10_60884.asp "The Scoreboard: Sunday, June 10" mediabistro.com] ] The show's lead over its competition shrank considerably, however, with its August 5, 2007 airing.

Cancellation

The show's cancellation was announced on August 14, 2007 and its last episode aired on September 23, 2007. Bill Shine, the Senior Vice President of programming at Fox News, stated that "we are considering ways to retool the show for future scheduling needs."

ee also

*"Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld"
*"The Colbert Report"

References

External links

* [http://www.foxnews.com/halfhournewshour/index.html Official site]
* [http://www.tv.com/the-1-2-hour-news-hour/show/70291/summary.html Profile at TV.com]
* [http://www.metacritic.com/tv/shows/halfhournewshour Reviews at MetaCritic]
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2014734,00.html Fox launches rightwing satire show] Dan Glaister in Los Angeles for The Guardian, February 16, 2007