Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has forced Fox News Channel news anchor Bill Hemmer to do double duty. In addition to hosting America’s Newsroom with Dana Perino weekdays from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., viewers can now find Hemmer guest starring on early morning and evening shows like Tucker Carlson or Hannity.
“I prepare a lot so that nothing will surprise me when something happens,” he says. “While I’m on the air live, because I know something about it, I can make it to ask the appropriate questions. Covering this properly will require a lot of studying the details, watching all sorts of videos online, and reading for a long time.”
In his presentations, Hemmer is reluctant to make forecasts and prefers reporting.
“I want our audience to know that we’ve given them a fair and honest assessment of the biggest issues of the day,” he says.
Born and raised in Cincinnati, Hemmer still visits annually for a special event benefiting the senior center that cared for his grandparents. He is the host of the George Knittle Memorial Bayley Place Golf Classic, named in honor of his grandfather, George F. Knittle, which benefits Bayley Senior Living. Knittle died in 2003 at the age of 100.
Hemmer’s upbringing was shaped as a Roman Catholic parish student. “Sunday morning at 11 a.m. all seven Hemmers were sitting in the pew,” he recalls. He continues to practice his Catholic faith.
After graduating from Miami University in Ohio, he began his career on Ohio’s local television news network. He worked at CNN for several years before joining Fox News Channel in 2005.
A circumstance during the Ukraine invasion in recent weeks that has shaped him.
“I watched a man walk out of a building that had just been hit by a rocket,” says Hemmer. “He scanned the street with his iPhone. Shrapnel everywhere with several women screaming, just killed, dead, limbs missing. I tried to avoid looking at it…it stayed with me for a while.”
News and journalism figures Hemmer admires include the late Peter Jennings, Dan Rather and Tom Brokaw.
“They were the troika growing up,” says Hemmer. “Then there is Christiane Amanpour for her coverage of Yugoslavia in the 1990s.”
Sag Harbor has become Hemmer’s oasis. From Manhattan, “which is made of concrete and steel,” he began exploring the Southampton and Bridgehampton locations.
“Amagansett and Montauk seemed too far away,” he says. He decided Sag Harbor was the best community.
“The waterway and the port are important to me,” he adds. “I love my backyard… my beautiful garden… my total privacy… my retreat in Sag Harbor became a true escape from the TV news during COVID.”
His free time includes relaxing at Sag Harbor spots like the American Hotel.
A dozen Peconic oysters on a half shell and a pint at the American’s and he’s in heaven. He can’t say enough about the American Hotel, from the staff to the food, including Table 51.
“The Bellboy at 63 Main Restaurant is great for a burger and football on TV,” he notes. “Murf’s Backstreet is good on a Friday night…then there’s The Corner Bar,” although he’s disappointed they don’t have Stella on tap anymore.
Hemmer earned his sailing license from the Sag Harbor Sailing School. He joined the Barton & Gray Mariners Club during the pandemic.
Is Hemmer reporting the news from where he lives, as many of his contemporaries did in their response to COVID?
“I think I’m a jerk,” he sighs. “I never left the office. I kept coming back as a personal choice. I’ve tried a couple of Sag Harbor shows and I can’t say I liked them. During the COVID cable, the audience has forgiven for allowing us to produce this product. Ratings were huge during COVID and similar for the Ukraine War. I like being with people at work.”
Comments are closed.