Fox News Channel

No one ever accused Bill O'Reilly of being a wilting flower. So when the Fox News Channel commentator and interviewer appeared midway through a Barack Obama rally at a Nashua high school Saturday, his presence was evident. Tall, with camera crew in tow, O'Reilly marched forward to get a good look. Journalists have been known to seek the best angle. But it was after Obama's speech that O'Reilly threw some elbows. And not so figuratively, either.

Global media company News Corp. said it bought almost 15% of Premiere, Germany's biggest pay-TV operator. The New York company, whose holdings include Fox News Channel and Star TV, said it paid cable operator Unitymedia in Cologne $422.5 million in cash for a 14.58% stake. Unitymedia said it received 17.50 euros ($25.75) for each of its 16.4 million shares in Premiere. Premiere has more than 4 million subscribers in Germany and Austria to its television and digital radio channels, whose offerings include live soccer and first-run movies.

NEW YORK -- Fox News Channel has fired the host of its weekly "Fox News Watch" show that discusses the performance of the news media. Eric Burns, the show's host, said Monday that he was told in a phone call last week that his contract would not be renewed. He said he was not given a reason. The show airs Saturday evenings and, along with CNN's "Reliable Sources," is one of two cable news programs that focus on the media.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is leaving no stone unturned in her efforts to gain ground before next Tuesday's Democratic presidential primaries in North Carolina and Indiana. Today, for the first time, the New York senator will sit down with Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly in South Bend, Ind. The two-part interview will air today and Thursday on "The O'Reilly Factor." -- Matea Gold

Just a year ago, Fox News Channel was considered a pariah in many Democratic circles. But it appears that the cable news network is no longer in the doghouse. Consider this week: On Sunday, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) made a long-awaited appearance on "Fox News Sunday," a booking that host Chris Wallace had been seeking for more than two years. (The show airs on both the Fox broadcasting network and its sister cable channel.) On Wednesday, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.

Onetime Republican presidential contender Mike Huckabee has a new gig: He's the latest political analyst to join Fox News. The cable news network officially named the former Arkansas governor as a contributor to its election coverage on Thursday. --Matea Gold

Fox News tough guy Sean Hannity assured us this week he would press Sarah Palin for real answers -- no going easy on the woman who could be the next vice president of the United States. "No topic," Hannity intoned, "is off limits." A couple of nights earlier, Fox's hard-talking lawyer, Greta Van Susteren, promised to take us to unknown places in her exclusive interview with Alaska's so-called First Dude, Todd Palin. "You will see this," Greta declared, "nowhere else!" No, you won't.

Conservative commentator Glenn Beck is leaving CNN Headline News for Fox News Channel, where he will host a weekday show at 5 p.m. starting next spring. His daily radio show is heard by nearly 7 million people, ranking him fifth in popularity behind Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Michael Savage and Laura Schlessinger, according to Talkers magazine. Beck sensed growth opportunities at Fox, which appeals to a more conservative audience and has many more viewers than CNN Headline News.

Fox News host Greta Van Susteren has landed the first post-election interview with Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the network said Friday. The host of "On the Record" flew to Alaska Friday, where she'll interview the onetime Republican vice presidential nominee on Sunday and Monday. The taped interview will air on her Monday program. Palin is granting the interview after being been pummeled in the media for the last several days by unnamed aides to Sen. John McCain, who claim that she made exorbitant clothing expenditures beyond what had been previously reported and lacked basic knowledge of world affairs.

Roger Ailes, the savvy and hard-charging television executive who transformed the Fox News Channel from an upstart enterprise to the top-rated cable news network, sealed a deal Wednesday to remain in his post for another five years. Ailes' new contract extends the key role he plays in News Corp. as chief executive of Fox News and chairman of the Fox Television Stations. "Roger has done a remarkable job building Fox News into a force in journalism," News Corp.