Fox News has always kept its logo consistent since 1990, even before the cable news channel was founded. The logo has only undergone slight redesigns throughout its history, maintaining the original version’s idea and geometry through angle and color scheme changes.
Evolution of the Fox News Logo
Fox News has often been criticized as a conservative news channel. The criticism appears somewhat justified because all the channel’s logo versions look pretty much the same. The designers have altered the color scheme multiple times and changed the font of the “channel” name only once.
1990-1996
The original Fox News logo was designed in 1990, six years before the cable news channel was formed. The original version was a black-and-white emblem on which all the brand’s future visual identity symbols were modeled.
The “Fox News” lettering was written in uppercase letters and was placed in a big black square. Two expanding stripes with a sharp bottom stretched from the left lower corner–looking like long spotlight beams. On the left side of the square, several arched lines crossed the background, portraying the image of the globe.
Below the “Fox News” lettering was the word channel in a thin white rectangle, written in black lowercase letters.
1996-2002
Fox News was officially launched in 1996, the same year its original logo version was redesigned. The redesign maintained the previous structure, but the black square gained a dark blue shade.
The news Fox News logo also had a thin red rectangle replacing the previous white one, while the word “channel” was now written in white.
The new color scheme refreshed the Fox News logo, making it appear more confident and professional, symbolizing authority and quality.
2002-2017
In 2017, the Fox News logo underwent another slight evolution when the designers altered the font and color scheme. The dark blue color scheme got lighter, while the thin red rectangle at the bottom became slightly darker.
A thin arched line reappeared in the background in white, while the word “channel” was written in white lowercase, bold letters.
2017-Present
Fox News has used the same logo since 2017, but the blue and red color schemes in the upper square and bottom rectangle became even lighter.
Fox News Logo Design Elements
Shape: The Fox News logo is a fusion of text elements and geometric patterns that portray its corporate image.
Two expanding stripes with pointed bottoms–representing long spotlight beams–take their pride of place among the design elements. This reminds viewers that Fox News is very much at the front and center of the news business and covers every event from multiple angles.
Color: The Fox News logo uses a font that closely resembles the FT Good OT Black. The designers have made minor typography alterations, making the news channel’s name stand out.
Font: The Fox News logo’s color scheme comprises a trio of colors. It includes white, blue, and red. The chosen shades match the corporate colors of the channel.
The History of Fox News
The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly referred to as Fox News, is a United States conservative cable news TV channel headquartered in New York. The Fox Corporation owns Fox News Media, which itself owns Fox News.
Fox News broadcasts mainly from studios in Midtown Manhattan. It broadcasts abroad to 86 countries and territories globally, with overseas broadcasts featuring Fox Extra programs during commercial breaks.
Australian-born American media tycoon Rupert Murdoch created Fox News in October 1996 to cater to a conservative demographic, recruiting ex-CNBC executive and Republican media consultant Roger Ailes as the company’s first CEO.
Fox News was launched with 17 million cable network subscribers. The channel snowballed in the late 1990s to early 2000s and became the top cable news subscription channel in the United States.
By September 2018, 90.8% of American TV subscribers (around 87,118,000 households) were watching Fox News.
Fox News became the number one cable news network in the United States, with an average of 2.5 million viewers. Rupert Murdoch has been Fox News executive chairman since 2016, a position he still held as of April 2022. And Suzzane Scott has served as the network’s CEO since 2018.
History
Australian-American publisher Rupert Murdoch and US industrialist Marvin Davis announced plans to create a network of independent TV stations to directly compete with established TV networks like ABC, NBC, and CBS in May 1985. The duo wanted to achieve this goal by taking over six TV Metromedia-owned TV stations.
In July 1985, Rupert Murdoch completed his 50% takeover of Fox Filmed Entertainment through 20th Century Fox. One year later, Murdoch’s company 20th Century Fox brought in $5.6 million in revenue in its third financial period ending on May 31, 1986. In the third financial period of the previous year, the company lost a staggering $55.8 million.
Before establishing Fox News Corporation, Murdoch had some experience with the 24-hour news industry when Sky News became Europe’s first 24/7 news channel in Great Britain in 1989. After successfully founding Fox News as an American TV network, Murdoch announced in January 1996 that Sky News’s parent company News Corporation would open a 24-hour news cable and satellite TV network in America.
By February 1996, former NBC executive and Republican Party strategist Roger Ailes had left the cable TV channel MSNBC. Subsequently, Rupert requested him to establish Fox News Channel, which he launched in October 1996.
The launch of Fox News saw 17 million American households subscribe to the network. However, the TV network was initially unavailable in the most important American media markets of Los Angeles and New York.
Rolling news coverage throughout the day comprised 20-minute one-topic shows like Fox on politics or Fox on crime, interspersed with news headlines. Fox News interviews featured facts about the guest or topic at the base of the screen.
At the time of launching, the prime newscast was known as the Schneider Report, delivered quickly by Mike Schneider. In the evening, Fox aired opinion shows such as the O’Reilly Factor, Hannity & Colmes, and the Crier Report.
From the get-go, Fox News has heavily focused on visual presentation. The channel designed colorful, attention-grabbing graphics to help viewers grasp the gist of whatever was discussed, even without one hearing the host speak. For example, the interviewer or speaker’s point of view was summarized by on-screen text, while bullet points summarized the host’s commentary. Also, Fox News introduced “Fox News Alert” to interrupt its usual program in the event of a breaking news story.
To rapidly sign up cable providers, Fox paid networks up to $11 for each subscriber to have the channel distributed. This went against the grain of standard practice, where cable providers paid TV channels carriage fees for programs.
During the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Fox News became the first news network to have a news ticker running at the base of the screen to keep viewers updated on the information flow that day. That ticker has stayed put, giving viewers extra news which may not be mentioned on-screen by reporters and repeating news items read during a broadcast.
The news ticker feature has since become popular with most viewers. Fox News became more popular than CNN for the first time in January 2002, maintaining its lead throughout the decade.
International Broadcast
The Fox News feed is available internationally through numerous providers, while Fox Extra segments offer alternate programming. Fox News is aired in over 80 countries and territories around the world.
Great Britain and Ireland
In the UK, Sky carries the Fox News Channel and runs its domestic news network Sky News. In August 2017, Sky stopped carrying Fox News, saying it wasn’t commercially viable to continue doing so because less than 2,000 viewers watched Fox News daily.
Sky said its decision had nothing to do with 21st Century Fox’s mooted takeover of the rest of Sky plc. This proposed takeover ultimately caused a bidding war that was won by Comcast instead.
Australia
In Australia, Fox News airs on the top-rated pay-TV provider Foxtel, owned 65% by News Corporation Australia. News Corp Australia is the sister firm of Fox Corporation and the Australian wing of News Corp.
News Corp Australia wholly owns the local cable news network Sky News Australia. So, Sky News Australia is technically Fox News’ sister station, although it’s got formal business agreements with Fox News’ competitor CNN on top of both CBS News and ABC News.
Canada
Initially, Fox News had planned to roll out a joint business with Global Television Network, provisionally called Fox News Canada. This venture would have aired a combination of Canadian and American news programming. Consequently, Fox News Canada was denied a permit by the Canadian Radio-Television Telecommunications Commission in 2003.
In March 2004, however, a Fox executive announced they’d shelved the venture. In November of the same year, the Canadian Radio-Television Telecommunications Commission announced that Fox News was among the foreign channels that local TV providers could carry.
New Zealand
The Fox News Channel is aired by pay satellite provider SKY Network TV’s digital platform on channel 088. It formerly aired overnight on SKY’s New Zealand free-to-air UHF TV channel Prime. This was halted in January 2010 owing to an expiring license. News Corp, formerly owners of Fox News, had shares in both Prime and SKY until 2014.
Netherlands
In Holland, cable providers CASEMA and UPC Nederland carried Fox News, as did satellite operator Canaldigitaal. The three providers have since dropped Fox News in recent years. Right now, Fox News is available only on one cable operator Caiway (which broadcasts in a few towns in central Holland). Fox News was also available through T-Mobile’s IPTV provider KNIPPR.
France
Fox News is accessible on cable via French internet service provider Free. By Spring 2017, Free’s Orange lineup had stopped airing Fox News.
Italy
SKY Italia airs Fox News in Italy. The channel was introduced to the country in 2001 on Stream TV, later moving to SKY Italia two years later.
Israel
Satellite TV provider Yes broadcasts Fox News on channel 105. Fox News is also available on Partner TV and Cellcom TV. It’s also available on cable provider HOT on channel 200.
Scandinavia
From 2003 to 2006, Fox News programming was broadcast 16 hours daily in Scandinavia countries like Sweden and others on TV8. American ads were replaced by Fox News Extra programming. In September 2006, TV8 dropped Fox News in favor of German news network Deutsche Welle TV.
Mexico
In Mexico, cable TV provider Izzi Telecom carries Fox News’ international feed.
Brazil
In Brazil, Fox News has been broadcast since 2002. However, Fox Extra segments replace American ads. Fox News is also available in Vivo TV packages.
Phillippines
Fox News programming is available in the Philippines on Sky Cable TV channels 510 (Regional), 138 (Metro Manila), channel 50 (G Sat), and Cablelink Channel 224.
Japan
Although Fox News stopped broadcasting to Japan in the summer of 2003, the channel is still available on Pan Global TV Japan, Mediatti, and Americable (which broadcasts to American bases).
India
Fox News is available in India through streaming platform Disney+ Hotstar (previously owned by 21st Century Fox).
Summing Up the History of Fox News
Owned by parent company 21st Century Fox, the Fox News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour cable news network founded in October 1996 by Australian-born American entrepreneur Rupert Murdoch. The news channel was initially dedicated to presenting breaking news in addition to business and political news.
Fox News broadcasts news 24/7, including breaking news, business, and political news, and issue-centered shows. The Fox News website includes broad news coverage, such as tech, science, travel, health, lifestyle, weather, sports, and video.
Fox News runs 15 bureaus all over the globe, including their New York headquarters, Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Chicago, Los Angeles, Denver, San Francisco, Miami, Washington D.C., Seattle, Rome, London, Paris, and Jerusalem.
The Pew Research Center states that Fox News had about 17 million views, compared to CNN’s 500,000 and MSNBC’s 600,000. And According to Fox News, the cable news network had more than 90 million subscribers by 2012.
