Right-wing news network faceplants as bid to suck up to Trump with big name hire blows up

An attempt to curry favor with Donald Trump and his administration is off to a rough start for right-wing network Nexstar as the hiring of a former Fox News personality looks like a failed experiment.

According to Oliver Darcy's "Status" newsletter, Nexstar's flagship news network NewsNation is undergoing significant programming changes to align with Trump administration preferences. The network has shifted from presenting itself as an unbiased news alternative toward more ideologically conservative content to assist in it's multi-billion effort to merge with Tegna.

NewsNation recently hired former Fox News personality Katie Pavlich as a marquee prime time host, with one network insider admitting, "A lot of people within the network believe that the network has gone hard right to appeal to Trump and [FCC commissioner] Brendan Carr.”

Status reporter Natalie Korach noted that Pavlich "has largely delivered exactly the kind of programming her critics anticipated: reliably Trump-friendly and conservative commentary-heavy." However, the strategy has fallen flat with current NewsNation viewers.

Pavlich's program performance has been more than disappointing. From January 19 through February 11, "Katie Pavlich Tonight" averaged 107,000 total viewers and 17,000 in the advertiser-targeted 25-54 demographic — approximately 24% below NewsNation's prime time average of 140,000 viewers.

A high-profile exclusive Trump interview on Pavlich's second broadcast drew only 75,000 total viewers, significantly under-performing typical Fox News viewership which is in the millions nightly without presidential interviews.

Despite NewsNation's shift toward conservative programming, the strategy has not improved overall network performance. Nielsen data shows NewsNation's total-day audience averaging 68,000 viewers in early 2026, is essentially flat compared to previous periods. The network experienced an 18% year-over-year decline among adults 25-54, dropping to just 9,000 viewers in that demographic.

Insiders characterized the Pavlich programming as "pro-Trump garbage," reflecting viewer dissatisfaction with the network's editorial direction.

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