Ex-Fox News exec named CEO of Newsmax TV

Former Fox News executive Michael Clemente has been named CEO of Newsmax TV, the company announced Monday.

Clemente, who will be based in New York, will be in charge of all programming and daily operations at Newsmax.

“Michael is one of the most accomplished executives and producers in television and digital news,” Chris Ruddy, CEO of Newsmax Media, said in a statement. “He is widely respected in the industry and has won accolades for his high journalistic standards. It’s an honor for us to have him leading our team.”

{mosads}“Newsmax has demonstrated the ability to adapt and thrive in the highly transformative digital news world, and was one of the first major online outlets to create a TV brand in cable and [delivery of content via the Internet],” Clemente said.

“I’m excited to take on this new role at Newsmax during an incredible period of change, in a country eager for truth, understanding, and engagement in the news process,” he said.

Clemente joined Fox News in 2009 after 27 years at ABC News, where he served as senior vice president of news-editorial and as Peter Jennings’s producer on “World News Tonight.” He also served as an executive producer at CNN for a two-year stint.

Newsmax is in 50 million homes, primarily via satellite services such as DirecTV. It has struggled to gain distribution agreements with cable providers including Time Warner, Comcast and Cablevision.

Ruddy, in announcing Clemente’s hire, said the network’s main priority is to offer more programming.

He also took a shot at Fox News, which continues to comfortably lead its cable news rivals in the ratings race despite many executive and on-air changes at the network in the past 20 months.

“I think that Fox is a great product,” Ruddy told The Associated Press. “But it’s also a stale product.”

Fox News did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment.

Newsmax TV launched in June 2014.