Geraldo Rivera is leaving CNBC to join Fox News Channel as a war
correspondent, FNC announced Thursday.
Rivera will ship out for Afghanistan Nov. 19, where he'll join FNC reporter
Steve Harrigan, whom FNC recently recruited from Cable News Network.
Rivera's last day at CNBC will be Nov. 16, FNC said.
Rivera is a huge hire for FNC, which recently saw anchor Paula Zahn jump ship
to Cable News Network.
'I'm a reporter, and America's fight against terror is the biggest story of
our times,' Rivera said in a prepared statement. 'And as much as I loved my CNBC
program, I can't stay anchored to that desk any longer.'
Rivera, host of CNBC's Rivera Live, previously worked for FNC CEO
Roger Ailes when Ailes was CEO of CNBC -- a post he left in 1996 to launch
FNC.
The events of Sept. 11 caused Rivera to reassess what he does for a living,
he said in a statement released by CNBC.
'I'm feeling more patriotic than at any time in my life -- itching for
justice, or maybe just revenge,' Rivera said.
CNBC will now expand its business-news programming into primetime after
Rivera leaves, the network said in a prepared statement. CNBC has been planning
to expand its business coverage into the evening for several
months.
