Richard Bacon and Kristin Smith will host Twentieth’s Top 30, premiering Sept. 11, said Stephen Brown, executive VP of programming and development for the Fox Television Stations.
“In the last year, we’ve seen a marked rise in the importance of news in various media. Every day, we hope to provide stories that resonate with our audience in an emotional and intellectual way,” said Brown in a statement.
Top 30 debuted on select Fox stations last summer as a test. The show features the top-30 stories of the day, covering everything from current events to world news to trending topics and viral videos. Each episode is composed of 12 two-minute segments, with 30- or 60-second commercial breaks in between each segment. An onscreen branded player will count down the time as ads play.
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The show’s local station affiliates also will have the opportunity to provide 90-second local news updates each day. For example, if Top 30 was airing during Hurricane Harvey, Fox’s KRIV could update viewers on the flooding.
Each day, the Fox Business Network will provide a 60-second business update from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. The segment will be hosted by the network’s Nicole Petallides.
Bacon currently hosts daily current affairs program, BBC Radio 5 Live. He also has co-anchored major news stories for ABC News and BBC1 and hosted The Big Breakfast, Top of the Pops and BBC 6 Music and Drive Time on Capital FM and XFM.
"I spend my days off talking about the biggest news and entertainment stories of the last 24 hours, so I'm delighted that I now get to do it on camera,” Bacon said in a statement.
Smith comes from Fox’s KSAZ Phoenix where she anchored Fox 10 Arizona Morning and Fox 10 News at Noon. She’s also hosted a weekly “Mommy Lifestyle Expert” segment on Hallmark’s Home & Family. Previously, she hosted Tribune’s The Morning Show in Miami, Fla. She began her career as morning anchor for KYMA News Channel 11 in Yuma, Ariz.
“Top 30 is the future of news because it’s what we all need — a quick rundown of stories packed with information that generates meaningful conversation. I'm honored to host a show I believe in this much,” Smith said, also in a statement.
Top 30 is produced by Dino Bones Productions, Inc. for Fox Television Stations and distributed by Twentieth Television. Marc Victor is executive producer.
