NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--FOX News Channel (FNC) has named FOX Business Network’s (FBN) Melissa Francis as a co-host of the top-rated ensemble show Outnumbered (weekdays 12-1PM/ET), announced Jay Soroko, executive producer of the program. In this role, Francis will join co-anchor Harris Faulkner to discuss the day’s top headlines with rotating panelists, including the signature “One Lucky Guy.” Additionally, Francis will continue co-hosting FBN’s post-market program After the Bell (4PM/ET).
In making the announcement, Soroko said, “Melissa has served as a frequent panelist throughout the years and our audience has come to value her smart commentary and expert analysis. We are thrilled she’s joining Outnumbered as she will undoubtedly contribute to the program’s continued success.”
Francis added, “I am proud to have the opportunity to work alongside the brilliant women on Outnumbered, and look forward to sharing my perspective with viewers across both FOX News Channel and FOX Business Network on a daily basis.”
According to Nielsen Media Research, Outnumbered has been the number one cable news program in its timeslot with total viewers and has also posted high double-digit increases in both total viewers and the 25-54 demographic since launch. For the first quarter of 2018, the FNC program swept its 12PM/ET cable news competition, delivering 1.6 million total viewers and 305,000 in the 25-54 demographic.
Francis joined FBN in 2012 and currently serves alongside David Asman as co-host on FBN’s After the Bell (4PM/ET), which has outperformed CNBC for 2017 to date in total viewers. Throughout her tenure at FBN, she has interviewed some of the financial industry’s biggest names, including JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and Icahn Enterprises Chairman & Founder Carl Icahn.
Prior to joining the network, Francis was a co-anchor on CNBC’s midday programs Power Lunch and The Call. In 2003, she established herself as one of the foremost experts on energy and commodities, as well as made television history as the first reporter to broadcast live from the floor of the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Before joining CNBC, Francis was a correspondent for CNET's broadcast unit, where she covered finance, technology and consumer products. Previously, she served as a reporter for News 12 New Jersey, and anchored news programs throughout various New England television markets, including Hartford, CT, Manchester, VT, and Providence, RI. She got her start in the industry as a producer for WCSH-TV (NBC) in Portland, Maine and also served as a researcher for the MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour.
Francis holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Harvard University, and is the author of “Diary of a Stage Mother’s Daughter” and “Lessons from the Prairie: The Surprising Secrets to Happiness, Success, and (Sometimes Just) Survival I Learned on America’s Favorite Show.”
FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news service delivering breaking news as well as political and business news. The number one network in cable, FNC has been the most watched television news channel for more than 16 years. According to a Suffolk University/USA Today survey, Fox News is the most trusted source for television news or commentary in the country and a 2017 Gallup/Knight Foundation survey found that among Americans who could name an objective news source, Fox News is the top-cited outlet. Owned by 21st Century Fox, FNC is available in 90 million homes and dominates the cable news landscape, routinely notching the top ten programs in the genre.
