Hannity
Encyclopedia
Hannity is a television show on the Fox News network, a replacement to the long-running show Hannity & Colmes
. It is hosted by conservative political pundit Sean Hannity
.
Following the announcement on November 25, 2008 that Alan Colmes
would leave the show, it was decided that the show would simply be entitled Hannity.
On the rationale for the new program, Fox News Senior Vice President Bill Shine has stated:
The show's format consists of Hannity interviewing guests and providing his own commentary. Among notable segments is The Great American Panel, running near the end of the show, featuring Hannity and three guests (two of which are notable political or news commentators, one liberal and the other conservative, with the third member being a special guest who is notable outside the political or journalistic community but usually holding conservative political views) in a panel discussion on important topics of the day. The Panel is split into two parts, in between parts Hannity (or sometimes the special panel guest) will toss a miniature football towards the camera.
The first guest on Hannity was former Speaker of the House
Newt Gingrich
. Hannity featured an exclusive interview with Don Imus
during his premiere week. During the second week, conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh
appeared in an exclusive two-part interview about the future of the conservative movement and the newly inaugurated President Barack Obama
.
Additionally, Hannity has been criticized for his coverage of the drought afflicting California's Central Valley in 2009 due to the deactivation of the local water pumps for the safety of the Delta smelt fish, which is on the endangered species list, despite the fact that there have been multiple causes for the drought and that the water pumps were re-activated in June 2009, while Hannity continued his coverage of the drought and issued demands to the Obama Administration to "turn the water on" for several months after the pumps' reactivation.
Hannity & Colmes
Hannity & Colmes was a live television show on Fox News Channel in the United States, hosted by Sean Hannity and Alan Colmes, who respectively presented a conservative and liberal perspective. The series premiered on October 6, 1996, and the final episode aired on January 9, 2009. It was the...
. It is hosted by conservative political pundit Sean Hannity
Sean Hannity
Sean Hannity is an American radio and television host, author, and conservative political commentator. He is the host of The Sean Hannity Show, a nationally syndicated talk radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks. Hannity also hosts a cable news show, Hannity,...
.
Following the announcement on November 25, 2008 that Alan Colmes
Alan Colmes
Alan Samuel Colmes is an American radio/television host, liberal political commentator for the Fox News Channel, and blogger. He is the host of The Alan Colmes Show, a nationally syndicated talk-radio show distributed by Fox News Radio that also airs throughout the United States on Fox News Talk...
would leave the show, it was decided that the show would simply be entitled Hannity.
On the rationale for the new program, Fox News Senior Vice President Bill Shine has stated:
The show's format consists of Hannity interviewing guests and providing his own commentary. Among notable segments is The Great American Panel, running near the end of the show, featuring Hannity and three guests (two of which are notable political or news commentators, one liberal and the other conservative, with the third member being a special guest who is notable outside the political or journalistic community but usually holding conservative political views) in a panel discussion on important topics of the day. The Panel is split into two parts, in between parts Hannity (or sometimes the special panel guest) will toss a miniature football towards the camera.
The first guest on Hannity was former Speaker of the House
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, or Speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives...
Newt Gingrich
Newt Gingrich
Newton Leroy "Newt" Gingrich is a U.S. Republican Party politician who served as the House Minority Whip from 1989 to 1995 and as the 58th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999....
. Hannity featured an exclusive interview with Don Imus
Don Imus
John Donald "Don" Imus, Jr. is an American radio host, humorist, philanthropist and writer. His nationally-syndicated talk show, Imus in the Morning, is broadcast throughout the United States by Citadel Media and relayed on television by the Fox Business Network.-Personal life:Imus was born in...
during his premiere week. During the second week, conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh
Rush Limbaugh
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
appeared in an exclusive two-part interview about the future of the conservative movement and the newly inaugurated President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
.
Criticism
On 18 June 2009, when discussing the government’s “Cash for Clunkers” program that gave financial incentives to consumers who traded in older vehicles for new, fuel efficient ones, Hannity said "..all we've got to do is ... go to a local junkyard, all you've got to do is tow it to your house. And you're going to get $4,500.” The nonpartisan Politifact watchdog group called that claim false because the program as proposed and passed, required that the vehicle must be in "drivable condition" and the trade-in had to have been "continuously insured consistent with the applicable state law and registered to the same owner for a period of not less than one year immediately prior to such trade-in."Additionally, Hannity has been criticized for his coverage of the drought afflicting California's Central Valley in 2009 due to the deactivation of the local water pumps for the safety of the Delta smelt fish, which is on the endangered species list, despite the fact that there have been multiple causes for the drought and that the water pumps were re-activated in June 2009, while Hannity continued his coverage of the drought and issued demands to the Obama Administration to "turn the water on" for several months after the pumps' reactivation.