One of the biggest names at Fox News is suddenly gone.

Maria Bartiromo is no longer with Fox News Media after more than 12 years at the company.

The announcement landed Thursday with no advance farewell, no victory lap and no explanation for why the longtime anchor was leaving.

Fox made the move effective immediately.

That abrupt language is why this looks less like a planned retirement and more like a removal, although the network has not said Bartiromo was fired.

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The first wave of breaking reports captured just how suddenly the news hit:

Fox News Media said Bartiromo was no longer with the company “effective today.” The brief statement thanked her for 12-and-a-half years of work and wished her well in her next chapter, but it did not disclose what caused the split.

The network also laid out immediate replacements for every program carrying her name. Thursday morning’s edition of “Mornings with Maria” was the final episode.

Beginning Friday, the three-hour Fox Business block will be called “Mornings with FOX Business” and will use rotating anchors.

Her weekly “Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street” becomes “FBN’s Wall Street,” with Cheryl Casone handling the first edition before a rotation begins. Fox said it will announce a new weekday Fox Business schedule in the coming weeks.

Bartiromo’s Sunday program is changing hands too. Former Rep. Jason Chaffetz will host “Sunday Morning Futures” this weekend while the network searches for a permanent replacement.

Axios quickly confirmed that Fox had lost one of its highest-profile personalities:

Axios described the announcement as a surprise and noted Bartiromo’s unusually high profile inside the network. She had also developed a strong rapport with President Trump, interviewing him repeatedly and giving conservative viewers a prominent platform focused on markets, Washington and the administration’s agenda.

Bartiromo occupied far more airtime than a typical contributor, moving from the premarket business day to a weekly investing show and Sunday politics.

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That relationship makes the silence surrounding her exit even more striking. There was no public controversy cited in the announcement, no contract dispute described and no statement from Bartiromo included.

Fox’s transition plan left no Bartiromo program untouched. Her weekday show, weekly Wall Street broadcast and Sunday political program were all assigned new names or temporary hosts immediately.

The timing also raises questions.

Bartiromo was on the air for her normal weekday show Thursday morning. Hours later, viewers learned that it had been the final episode and that the title would disappear before the next broadcast.

Mediaite’s alert underscored that Fox was not reshuffling Bartiromo into a different role:

The New York Post reported that Bartiromo’s final “Mornings with Maria” aired just before the announcement. The paper also confirmed the immediate program-name changes and temporary hosts, while noting that Fox News and Fox Business are both part of Fox Corp.

“Mornings with FOX Business” begins Friday with rotating anchors. Cheryl Casone gets the first turn on the renamed weekly Wall Street program, while Jason Chaffetz steps into “Sunday Morning Futures” this weekend.

The permanent Sunday host has not been named. Fox also has not announced who will anchor its rebuilt weekday business lineup over the long term.

Bartiromo joined Fox Business in January 2014 after two decades at CNBC, where she became one of the most recognizable figures in financial television.

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At Fox, she built a rare footprint across both business and political coverage. She anchored three hours every weekday morning, a weekly Wall Street program and one of Fox News Channel’s signature Sunday shows.

Her departure wipes her name from all three programs at once.

For now, that is the clearest fact viewers have: Maria Bartiromo did not announce a gradual exit. Fox announced that she was out, effective immediately, then moved at once to replace her across the schedule.

What happened behind the scenes remains unanswered.

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.

 

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