Opinion

MIKE EMANUEL: I joined an unknown startup called Fox News; it gave me a front-row seat to history

Joining Fox News early in 1997 when it was less than a year old was a leap of faith that has exceeded my wildest dreams

By Mike Emanuel Fox News

Published October 7, 2026 6:34pm EDT

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I was hired at Fox News in the first year of its existence — 1997 — before the vast majority of America knew what it was. In fact, I was hired without a job interview. The network’s top executives at the time offered me a job as a correspondent based on my audition reel.

It was an odd feeling to go to work for people I had never met at a network I had never seen. My career manager told me there were smart people at Fox who would likely figure out how to make it a success. So, I jumped at the chance to join the startup network.

At that point, we were not available on cable TV in much of America. So, when I would call people about doing an interview for a story, they would ask if I was at the local Fox affiliate. Then they would ask where they could see Fox News. I told them we were working on it. But if they agreed to do a story with me, I would send them a VHS tape after it aired.

About a month after I started, I was sent to London to work alongside the Fox team covering the death of Princess Diana. I thought that was going to be the story of my career. To be clear, it was a global story, but it was just the start of a truly extraordinary journey covering major national and international news of our time.

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Evidently, my Princess Diana coverage was decent. When I returned to our bureau in Los Angeles, my boss essentially interviewed me about where I had worked before local news in Los Angeles.

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I told him I was at the Fox station in Austin, Texas, covering politics. His ears perked up, and he asked me if I knew then-Gov. George W. Bush. I told him the governor had nicknamed me "Mikey" since I covered his first campaign for governor in 1994 and his first couple of years in office. So, he asked if I could........

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