Rachel Maddow's 9 pm queen of cable news reign failed in its first test against Fox News Sean Hannity's debut in the 9pm hour Monday night, writes The Hollywood Reporter. Hannity won the battle for total viewers with Maddow trailing by 610,000 in viewers but had only 75,000 adults 25-54 deficit. A quick look at the math, suggests that Maddow didn't lose ground to Hannity. Rather more Fox News viewers tuned in to Hannity's new show, upping the Fox News 9pm audience and giving Ingraham a big push against MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell at 10pm. O'Donnell had also been beating Hannity, suggesting that Fox viewers go to bed early.

Ingraham Fills 10 PM Hannity Slot

The long-denied rumour that Laura Ingraham would be taking over Hannity's spot was confirmed by FNC last week. The program will be called 'The Ingraham Angle' and will debut Oct. 30.

Here's how the network described her new show, writes THR: "The Ingraham Angle will aim to cut through the Washington chatter to speak directly with unexpected voices and the actual people who are impacted by the news of the day. Ingraham will challenge the decision makers to focus on everyday, hard-working Americans who serve as the backbone of the nation. The program will also highlight the importance of faith in our nation and reveal stories that showcase the American spirit."

Megyn Kelly 'Today'

The biggest news on Monday September 25 was the debut of Megyn Kelly's new NBC show, following 'Today'. The New Yorker calls 'Megyn Kelly Today' at 9am "a folksy deliverance."

The fashion world attached its manicured nails to the relevance of Kelly's pussycat blouse, rather than her Fox sheaths. Bombshell dressing doesn't really belong in the 9am hour, and Kelly is already facing a skeptical audience. Kelly may like pussycat bow blouses, given her famous, hostile encounters with America's pussy-grabbing president. After all, Melania Trump likes her supply of pussycat bow blouses.

Kelly began by telling her audience:

"I am kinda done with politics for now. . . . The political “division” of the past year, she said in an opening monologue, had made her “unhappy.” “For years, I had dreamed of hosting an uplifting show,” she said, her storybook voice rising. Joy comes in the morning, the saying goes. Quipping about her new schedule, Kelly told us what, after the first few minutes of this début, we had already discerned: that she isn’t, naturally, a morning person."

Read on. The New Yorker review is not kind to Kelly or NBC.

Speaking business, more than 2.9 million viewers tuned in for Kelly's debut, with 917,000 viewers in the coveted 25-54 slot, according to Nielsen. Those ratings represent a 8% jump over the September-to-date average in-demo viewership for NBC's 9am hour, writes Variety. At its height, Kelly’s primetime “The Kelly File” on Fox News Channel typically lured an average of 2.5 million viewers overall.