Who is Bill Hemmer? What to know about the Fox News anchor and the 'Bill-board'
After months of anticipation, political tensions and intense campaign trails Election Day is here and voting is in full swing across the country as Americans choose their next president between former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee.
Among those reporting live on the election and analyzing results in real-time is Bill Hemmer, who will be leading election coverage on Fox News with his "Bill-board." Hemmer previously spoke with Paste BN about what gets him through an intense Election Night broadcast.
Here's what you need to know about the anchor and seasoned journalist.
Who is Bill Hemmer? Current job, show
Bill Hemmer is the co-anchor of Fox News Channel’s America’s Newsroom and is one of the network's lead breaking news anchors.
Hemmer joined the network in 2005 and is based in New York. He will be reporting with the “Bill-board” on election night at Fox News Channel’s headquarters in New York, a rep for Fox News told Paste BN.
Hemmer earlier, in an interview, told Paste BN the "Bill-board," will be "an excellent way of showing" viewers "how things may unfold in real-time."
"My feeling is if you're allowing the viewer to come into your process, you're going to win on that when you give them the perspective that you're seeing on your side," Hemmer says. "I think there's like information sharing, and it's a bit of an educational process that works both ways. The viewer rewards you when you allow them to take a look inside what you're trying to do."
Besides politics, Hemmer has also provided extensive live coverage of several major stories including Hurricane Milton from southwest Florida, the U.S. Navy's military operations in the North Pole, Russia' invasion of Ukraine, the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.
In March 2020, Hemmer co-moderated a virtual town hall with Trump and members of the White House coronavirus task force to discuss the unfolding situation and latest developments on the pandemic.
Bill Hemmer education
A Cincinnati native, Hemmer is a graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, according to Fox News.
He is also the recipient of several awards and honors, including a 1996 Emmy Award.
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More about Bill Hemmer
Prior to joining Fox News, Hemmer, 59, was with CNN, where he anchored "CNN Live Today" and "CNN Tonight."
While at CNN, Hemmer covered major world events including the death of Pope John Paul II in 2005, Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 as well as the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in Afghanistan.
Hemmer began his television career at WCPO in Cincinnati, where he anchored weekend sports. After a few years, Hemmer, then-27, felt dissatisfied with the work he was doing and decided to take a sabbatical from his job, according to a 2005 profile. He spent the next year traveling the world with just a backpack and camera to document his trip visiting countries like India, Nepal, China and Egypt. His travels culminated in a documentary titled "Bill’s Excellent Adventure," which won him two regional Emmys, one for Best Entertainment Program and another for Best Host in 1993.
The documentary also caught the attention of an agent, who later showed it to a senior executive at CNN, according to an archived report in New York Magazine. The CNN executive then called Hemmer in for an audition, who majorly impressed him, and landed a gig at the TV channel.
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for Paste BN. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.