Brit Hume to Retire at the End of the Year

There are two news programs that I regularly TiVO - Special Report with Brit Hume, and Fox News Sunday, on which Brit appears as a panelist. Word comes today that Brit will be retiring, at least from Special Report, at the end of the year:

Brit Hume, a top anchor and executive with Fox News since the channel was launched 12 years ago, plans to step down at year's end. But he won't disappear entirely.

Sources familiar with the situation say that Hume, 65, will give up his job as Washington managing editor and anchor of "Special Report," the 6 p.m. show that has beaten the cable news competition for seven years. They say he is near a deal to continue with Fox in a senior-statesman role, not unlike that of NBC's Tom Brokaw, for roughly 100 days a year.

Hume would be a senior political analyst, anchor for special events, panelist on "Fox News Sunday" and occasional substitute for the host, Chris Wallace.

Hume was unavailable for comment; the sources describing the situation would not be identified discussing pending contract negotiations.

For my money Brit is the best political anchor on the air. He's been great on all the many primary nights this year, and on election nights in the past. I'll be sorry to see him leave the daily broadcast, but there's some good talent that could take his place. I'd nominate Bret Baier, White House Correspondent, to take the Special Report gig (he often fills in when Brit is gone).