DANA PERINO: After 17 years, here’s why Fox News still feels like family

FOX NEWS ALERT!

You’re joining our coverage live as Fox News Channel celebrates 30 years of on-air excellence.

Thirty years?

It went by so fast.

And yet, a 30th anniversary doesn’t happen by accident.

Fox News makes it look easy. It’s not. The work behind the scenes is incredible to witness.

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Let’s take a moment to recognize the people our viewers never see — the ones who make it possible for the shows to get on the air, and for those of us in front of the camera to have complete confidence that the product reaching our viewers is informative and entertaining.

Having that confidence matters to the anchors, hosts and guests. It’s critical to know the research is solid, the technology is working, the pictures are right, and, if something changes in an instant, that the team has your back. Nearly the entire building is organized around making that possible.

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Aside from the hours I’m on air, I walk into work so happy. I love my routine — and knowing that the plan could change in an instant. It keeps me on my toes.

My day begins with a security guard who likes to announce, “Talent is in the building!” precisely because he knows the word “talent” makes me cringe. I blush, walk faster, and we laugh about it every single morning.

I often see one of the custodial staff on my way up to my office, and one joins me in trying to get a tradition going of saying, “Morning morning!” every day. We have a streak — we never miss.

Long before I arrive, the producers have already been working. They get up hours before we do, thinking about what would make a good show — not simply what we are going to say, but what the audience is going to experience. They’re looking for the best and latest video that captures an event, making graphics to help explain the story (I love charts!) and writing scripts that grab the viewer and keep them watching.

And then, at a moment’s notice, they may have to tear up the entire rundown when breaking news changes everything. Suddenly, the carefully planned show is gone, and the team is shifting to something happening across the country or around the world. They have to gather information, verify it, find the right pictures, reach the right correspondents and guests, and help us understand what matters — fast. That kind of flexibility only looks effortless when the people doing it are exceptionally good at their jobs.

My day begins with a security guard who likes to announce, ‘Talent is in the building!’ precisely because he knows the word ‘talent’ makes me cringe. I blush, walk faster, and we laugh about it every single morning.

I remember once interviewing an Afghan man who witnessed the Abbey Gate airport bombing in August, 2021 when President Joe Biden pulled our troops out. This man picked up an injured child, carried her to safety, and then came on air with us. He was a man with no hope. And while I am usually very stoic on air, I was about to cry.

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I will never forget the reassuring voice in my ear from the line producer: “You’re OK. You’re OK.” My tears dried up. The interview continued.

Afghans hold documents and wait outside Abbey Gate at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul during the chaotic August 2021 U.S. evacuation.  ( Courtesy: Oklahoma Khorasan Church)

Assistants are a lifeline for us — they produce our lives. They do the research, keep the schedule, block and tackle, and get in front of problems. The scope and scale of their talents are immense, and without them, we’d be lost.

Our technology teams keep us connected to breaking news and events around the world in real time — something we all take for granted right up until the second something doesn’t work.

And then, of course, there are those who help us look our best. The wardrobe department has a great eye and is always there with a pin or a piece of tape when we need it. The hair and makeup team is by far the best in the business. Name another? You can’t.

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They’re also our confidants — I’ve worked with the same team for almost 15 years, and they’ve become my sister-friends. Sure, they make sure I’m camera-ready at an hour when most reasonable people are still in pajamas, but they also know when I’ve had a tough night, could use some encouragement, need to laugh, and when it’s better just to let me sit quietly for a few minutes. I can’t wait to see them every day and catch up.

FOX News Media CEO Suzanne Scott and FOX News Media President and Executive Editor Jay Wallace with the Spotlight Award winners. (FOX News Media)

So many others to mention — the directors who know how to get the best reaction shots, the cameramen who never miss an angle, and the lighting technicians we wish we could take with us everywhere.

And there’s a special relationship with a stage manager who can communicate an entire paragraph with one glance. There are also those who laugh at our jokes — it’s very gratifying to hear those chuckles.

On the road, another kind of magic happens. Our crews can take a barn, a convention hall, a parking lot or almost anywhere else and turn it into a beautiful television set. Hollywood should be so lucky to know these people.

And amid the enormous logistical challenge of covering an election or a breaking-news event, someone still remembers the little things: Dana likes warm water in her cup. Dana would love a yoga mat in her room if we’re going to be here for a very long time. Dana needs a footstool (always!).

Those things may sound small, but they make all the difference. They say: We know you. We’ve got you. Go do your job.

That same support extends far beyond the studio. Our media relations team promotes our work, tells our stories and, when we need it, defends us vigorously. They are in the arena with us, and knowing they are there matters.

The same is true of our radio, podcast and digital teams, which have evolved right alongside the technology and opened up more and more ways for us to reach people. What once lived mostly on a television screen now lives in earbuds, phones, websites and across platforms that did not even exist when Fox News began. The technology changes, but the mission remains the same: Find the audience and serve them well.

And there are so many others whose names never appear on the screen.

You don’t just work alongside people — you live a lot of life alongside them.

These are not just colleagues. After enough years, they become deep friendships, and all the while I have laughed so much.

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I have also leaned on this group for comfort during some of life’s hardest moments, including when my dad passed away earlier this year. And I have had the privilege of sharing in the joy, too — marriages, babies and now, after all these years, even grandbabies.

That is what longevity really looks like. You don’t just work alongside people — you live a lot of life alongside them.

‘America’s Newsroom ‘co-host Bill Hemmer with Dana Perino’s dog Percy as a puppy.

We have celebrated, mourned, adapted and endured more than a few difficult seasons. And I think we are stronger because of it.

I’ve been at Fox for nearly 17 years, and somehow I still feel new compared with the OGs who built this network and made it what it is today.

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Thirty years later, the technology is different. The platforms are different. The way people consume news is different. But excellence still comes down to people and our corporate culture.

Without their singular focus on getting it right, we would not be number one, and we would not have lasted 30 years. Because of them — along with the vision and leadership from the top, including our founders — I have tremendous confidence in the years ahead.

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The cameras may be pointed at us.

But the people just outside the frame are the reason the show goes on.

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