While CNN rejuggles its news staff and schedule and Bill Hemmer goes job-hunting, Fox News has re-signed one of its most high profile people: Geraldo Rivera — bigtime:
Geraldo Rivera, who has been a war correspondent and host of his own weekend show on Fox News Channel, said Tuesday he had signed a four-year contract to stay at the network.
Rivera gave few details, other than to say he “got a promotion.”
So obviously Fox is pleased with Rivera, who in the end did help them in the recent Michael Jackson trial since he declared Jackson not guilty before the trial was half-over. MORE:
During a recent article in The Atlantic Monthly, Rivera was quoted as questioning whether he should stay at Fox or try to start a more high-profile show at another network.
“Fox has first dibs, but the problem with Fox and me is they’re wildly successful,” Rivera told the magazine. “Where are you going to put me? Who are you going to knock out? Every single slot is filled. From 3 o’clock to 11 o’clock they’ve got a hit show.”
He likened himself to a franchise ballplayer at the end of his career.
“I’m like Randy Johnson or Roger Clemens,” he told the magazine. “That’s who I identify with: old guys who still can throw 95-mile-an-hour fastballs.”
Maybe not. In terms of journalistic growth it’s more like Mike Tyson.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.