Fox News shakes up its daytime schedule

Fox News Channel Tuesday announced a shakeup of its dayside programming on the heels of finishing the third quarter of 2017 as the most-watched network among cable news.

Harris Faulkner will anchor “Outnumbered Overtime” at 1 p.m. ET and Dana Perino will anchor “The Daily Briefing” at 2 p.m. ET while also staying on as co-host of “The Five.” Both new programs will debut on Oct. 2. The network also announced that Sandra Smith will permanently join Bill Hemmer in co-anchoring “America’s Newsroom.”

“Harris, Dana and Sandra are rising stars and their combined background and expertise across news, business and politics will enable us to provide a more in-depth look at the major stories breaking out of Washington, and around the country," said Fox News President Jay Wallace.

"We are living in unprecedented times and this new lineup ensures our viewers will get the best news, information and analysis on the news of the hour across the nation and around the globe."

Faulkner and Smith will remain on “Outnumbered,” and “Overtime” will aim to continue the conversation with journalists in the field, plus one-on-one interviews and roundtable discussions with the network’s top contributors.

“Three years ago, we enhanced cable news with a show that combines news and opinion, predominantly from the female point of view, and immediately, ‘Outnumbered’ became the number one show in its timeslot," Faulkner said. "I am proud of the work we’re continuing to do there, and blessed to have this added opportunity to create a new program that will help inform our viewers and keep them engaged in a conversation surrounding the day’s headlines.”

Perino will now host “The Daily Briefing” and return for “The Five” a few hours later. The new show will give the former White House press secretary a chance to showcase her knowledge of the Beltway and provide insight from Sarah Sanders’ press briefings, which typically occur during the 2 p.m. ET hour.

“Our new show will aim to take on the major issues facing Americans and explore them from all angles," Perino said. "I am excited for this opportunity to draw from my political background to help our viewers get beyond the headlines and better understand what is really going on behind the scenes in Washington each day."

Smith said of her new role on "America's Newsroom": “There’s no one better in the business than Bill Hemmer and I am honored to kick off the network’s news hours with him, informing our viewers of the biggest stories and issues driving the day.”

The new lineup will be “America’s Newsroom” from 9-11 a.m., “Happening Now” at 11 a.m., “Outnumbered” at noon, “Outnumbered Overtime with Harris Faulkner” at 1 p.m., “The Daily Briefing with Dana Perino” at 2 p.m., “Shepard Smith Reporting at 3 p.m. and “Your World with Neil Cavuto” at 4 p.m. ET before “The Five” kicks off the revamped primetime lineup.

It also was announced Tuesday that FNC was the top-rated basic cable network in both prime time and total day viewers for the fifth straight quarter, but success hasn’t stopped the network from doing more.

“Hannity” moved to 9 p.m. ET on Monday, while “The Five” shifted back to its original time of 5 p.m. ET, where it was regularly among the most-watched shows in all of cable. Laura Ingraham and Shannon Bream take over the 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET positions , respectively, late next month, giving the network a strong female duo in prime time and adding an extra hour of live programming in the process.