I have to confess that I never look at the ratings for cable news programs. But I’ve noticed that Fox News is doing terribly since the election, and especially since the January 6 insurrections at the Capitol. Now, going from first to last is a big deal, and there are a lot of factors involved. Republicans are obviously demoralized for a variety of reasons.

But I think the number one reason is that people are looking for actual news right now. They want information rather than opinion. But if you tune in to Fox News, they aren’t talking much about the big news stories. It’s all about cancel culture and Big Tech, and that’s not what’s really concerning people. Last night, Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity devoted more time to the arrest of one Black Lives Matter protestor who was among the insurrectionists than to the insurrection or impeachment or the coronavirus or Biden’s incoming administration.

These are disorienting times and I think people are not quite sure what to think. They want some facts, and that’s true even with a lot of the Fox audience. I also believe that insofar as people want guidance, they’re hoping to learn what’s going to happen. Will McConnell vote to convict Trump? Will other Senate Republicans follow his lead? When will we be able to get our vaccine shot? What’s Biden gonna do differently to deal with the pandemic? Will Congress go along with his plans?

Fox just isn’t doing a very good job of answering these types of questions. They’re mostly stuck on telling people that liberals are going to exploit the January 6 attack to annihilate all conservatives. A lot of conservatives are looking for something different for a change.

It’s also true that Trump’s no longer a guiding star. He’s exiting the stage. It’s not clear who’s in charge, and so a lot of the same tired old grievance programming just isn’t scratching people’s itch.

There’s a segment, too, that senses things have gone too far and that it’s time ratchet down the divisiveness. New presidents get a bit of a honeymoon even from the other side, and this seems more justified now than is usually the case.

However you add it all up, Fox News is in a bad place. The president attacked them for calling Arizona for Biden on Election Night and suddenly right-wing crowds began chanting “Fox Sucks” and moving over to Newsmax or OANN. So, reporting factual information also comes with big costs.

I think the smart thing to do is to rebrand now. It’s a new era and Fox needs fresh talent and new programming. Even conservatives are exhausted after the last four years, and they’ll appreciate something different than more Laura Ingraham. Fox should focus on more original reporting and creating a stronger news division.

Their partisan model isn’t dead, but it is stale and frankly quite a bit discredited.

Finally, I think it’s just going to be hard to turn Joe Biden into a radical or a crook. For at least a little while, I don’t even think there will be much patience for that kind of programming. I know James Murdoch has seen enough. His father’s papers have been harshly critical of Trump’s voter fraud lies and the Wall Street Journal called on him to resign after the coup attempt.

Fox can do what it wants, but I don’t think they’ll get their number one position back by using Trump Era programming and talent in the Biden Era.