Fox's Hume expected to leave nightly newscast

[July 16, 2008]  NEW YORK (AP) -- Fox News Channel's Brit Hume, the network's top political anchor, is expected to leave his daily newscast at the end of the year for a part-time role at Fox.

Hume, 65, is expected to continue as a panelist on "Fox News Sunday" and work at Fox News Channel during special events, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday.

Negotiations are under way about Hume's future role, a network spokeswoman said, but she would not discuss details. Hume didn't immediately return calls for comment and his agent, Bob Barnett, would not discuss it.

Hume was a longtime ABC News reporter before joining Fox for his "Special Report," which airs at 6 o'clock on weeknights. The Post said he is expected to take on a role similar to what Tom Brokaw does at NBC News, before Brokaw temporarily replaced Tim Russert on "Meet the Press."

It would be the first major change in years for Fox News Channel's nighttime lineup, whose stability has contributed to its rise to the top of the cable news ratings.

Hume's move was anticipated. He had told reporters two years ago he was considering hanging it up when his contract expired at the end of the year.

"I've been doing this a long time, and it's just not as fascinating to me as it used to be," Hume told the New York Observer two years ago. "Look, journalism is a lot about enthusiasm. You have to have it. I find I am no longer as interested in politics as I was."

[Associated Press; By DAVID BAUDER]

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