On the Air:
   Alumnus Hosts Top Cable News Program

By Sarah Myers
Journalism senior

For one segment, Julian Phillips may be interviewing a former Israeli prime minister, and for the next, tossing pasta with a celebrity chef. Such is life as the host of the No. 1 weekend cable news channel program.

Julian Phillips Photo courtesy of FOX News

____ For more information:____ FOX News FOX and Friends

Phillips is the weekend co-host of "FOX and Friends," the popular morning show on the FOX News Channel. He also serves as a substitute anchor for FOX News Live.

Although he lives the life of a "so-called celebrity," Phillips once was the average college student, building experiences at Purdue University he says helped lead him to success.

"I can't even begin to describe how Purdue prepared me for the real world," said Phillips. "Purdue's name alone opened a lot of doors. It's not always what you know, but who you are affiliated with. In that sense, Purdue carries a lot of weight in the business world."

Phillips earned his B.A. in 1977, spending three years in McCutcheon Hall and frequenting the Black Cultural Center and home football games. He interned at WLFI-TV in West Lafayette before graduating and began work as a desk assistant at ABC Radio Network News in New York shortly after graduation.

Phillips joined FOX News Channel as an anchor and general assignment reporter in October 2002. Before that, he was an on-air correspondent for WPIX-TV (WB Network) "News At Ten" in New York and host of the WB11's community affairs show, "Best Talk." He also served as a reporter and manager of community relations for WNBC-TV in New York.

The FOX News network recently was rated the top cable news channel after less than 10 years on the air, so Phillips' face is familiar to millions of viewers each week.

"Viewers, or at least a large majority of them, tune in week after week because they feel a connection to the hosts,"” Phillips said. "A lot of times it boils down to whether people like you or not in the TV business. I've been fortunate that people think I'm a likeable guy."

As an anchor, Phillips arrives at the New York City studios hours before he goes on air. He spends his mornings reading newspapers and Internet news wires, gathering information about current stories and preparing himself for interviews.

Phillips said the morning and daytime program formats are very different. The morning show has a lighter side, while "when I anchor FOX News Live, it's usually all hard news."

Phillips also said that recent international events have had a considerable effect on the studio's landscape. With many anchors reporting from abroad, Phillips and other weekend anchors must complete more of the domestic field work. Programming at the network also has been adjusted to focus on war.

"(We have) much more coverage on the Mideast and the U.N., plus a closer watch on terrorism and how the White House is handling homeland security as well as the economy."

According to Phillips, his education at Purdue, and specifically its Liberal Arts program, provided him needed background to report such global news. "History, literature, and philosophy give you a great perspective on the world in which we live, and, more importantly, the people who live in it," he said.

While Phillips would like to host his own talk show one day, he is thrilled to hold the title of network news anchor. But it's not about the fame, he said.

"Providing information and services so people can make decisions on how to live, that's what being a journalist should be about for those who enter this field."