The O'Reilly Factor
The O'Reilly Factor (also often known as The Factor or The No-Spin Zone) was a Fox News television show hosted by political commentator Bill O'Reilly. This show was the highest-rated show in cable news. The show featured O'Reilly (or a guest host, usually Greg Gutfeld, Eric Bolling, Jesse Watters, Laura Ingraham, Mike Huckabee, or Juan Williams) and guests discussing major issues of that day.
The median age of viewers of the O'Reilly Factor was 72 years old, with half his audience even older than that.
Despite claims that O'Reilly was a conservative, a 2011 study showed that compared to the American population as a whole (which actually was relatively conservative), O'Reilly's views were actually in the political center of the population.[1] Interestingly, this was likely the reason this show was so popular.[1]
On April 19, 2017, Fox News broke ties with O'Reilly due to an alleged sex abuse scandal revolving around him.[2] The show was renamed The Factor until April 21, 2017, after the final episode starring guest host Gutfeld aired. The show was replaced by Tucker Carlson Tonight, which was in the 9PM EST slot and was moved to the 8PM EST slot formerly held by O'Reilly. The Five, with newly minted co-host Jesse Watters, replaced Carlson in the 9PM slot, and former Five co-host Bolling was given a solo show in the 5PM EST slot.
Segments
The show had many segments; some of them were eventually discontinued in favor of other segments.
- Talking Points MemoâA daily segment where O'Reilly discussed a key issue in current events with his words appearing as a side note on the screen.
- Top StoryâUsually, O'Reilly had guests discuss the issue brought up in the previous Talking Points Memo section
- Personal StoryâO'Reilly invited someone who wrote a bestselling book, or had made the news in some way, or who had interviewed a newsmaker
- Miller TimeâA Wednesday segment where O'Reilly invited regular guest comedian Dennis Miller on the show. The discussion was generally a lighthearted one on several issues, accompanied with visual gags and movie clips.
- Barack and a Hard PlaceâMonica Crowley and the late Alan Colmes discussed issues related to Barack Obama with O'Reilly
- Watter's Worldâ Jesse Watters went out every other Monday and interviewed younger people on a current issue
- Pinheads and PatriotsâDaily segment at the end of the program where people in the news were called out fot doing something good (patriot) or bad (pinhead).
- Tip of the DayâIt replaced Pinheads and Patriots, and in it O'Reilly gave a helpful tip to the audience
- Factor Viewer MailâO'Reilly read bits of emails at the end of the program, often ones that have contrasting viewpoints on the last show
- Word of the DayâAt the last minute of the program, O'Reilly picked an obscure word to challenge the viewer to know or look up
See also
References
- â 1.0 1.1 Pollak, Joel B. (April 19, 2017). Bill OâReillyâs Secret: He Was a Centrist, Not a Conservative. Breitbart News. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
- â Steel, Emily; Schmidt, Michael S. (April 19, 2017). Bill OâReilly Is Forced Out at Fox News. The New York Times. Retrieved April 19, 2017.