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What made Fox’s Bill Hemmer undrafted? Adrenaline says
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What made Fox’s Bill Hemmer undrafted? Adrenaline says

Mints, pizza and energy drinks are part of Bill Hemmer’s election night routine, but there’s one thing that excites him more than anything: adrenaline.

“I’ve felt that way with every breaking news story I’ve covered,” Hemmer, 59, told USA TODAY via video call from his office in New York City.

Co-host of Fox News Channel’s “America’s Newsroom” He explains that the constant flow of incoming information, data and numbers “feeds the story” and “energizes it,” which “energizes you, too.”

“The problem occurs when information slows down or stops, and when that happens, you start to feel it physically,” he continued.

“I think adrenaline gives you an energy that sometimes you don’t know actually exists,” Hemmer said.

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‘Creature of habit’

Adrenaline aside, other election night must-haves include Altoids to “keep the breath nice and fresh,” an occasional Red Bull, and a late-night pizza run, depending on how long the night is.

Describing himself as a “creature of habit,” Hemmer says he tries to stick to his schedule no matter what story he’s covering or what part of the world he’s in.

“You want to make sure you don’t develop bad habits, so hopefully I stick to my schedule,” Hemmer says. “But there’s nothing wrong with having a slice of good, chili pizza at one o’clock in the morning. Sometimes it gives you an energy boost you didn’t expect.”

Hemmer says he’ll take whatever’s available at the moment, but he prefers “Joe’s Pizza, Carmine and Bleeker,” adding, “The best in New York City.” As for coffee, Hemmer says he’ll try to avoid too many cups as it will “burn” his stomach, but he might have another full-milk grand latte with two shots in the afternoon to help him get through the evening. night.

“Remember, it’s not just caffeine,” Hemmer says. “There’s data. There’s information. The story unfolds in ways we couldn’t really predict (so) you really get behind the wheel of the adrenaline rush. When you do what we do, there’s a real thrill about it.”

weekend discipline

For Hemmer, mental and physical preparations for Election Night start the weekend before.

“I think it’s really important to come to (election) day as fresh as possible,” Hemmer says. “That means you’re disciplined for most of Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Monday, you kind of get into it and it starts on Tuesday.”

“We don’t know how late Tuesday night it’s going to be, and we don’t know if we’re going to decide it on Tuesday night and still be here a week later,” the presenter adds.

Hemmer would know. HE once famously jumped While he was at CNN covering the 2000 Presidential Election, he was on a plane to Tallahassee for five days and stayed there for 37 days.

Although he hopes that doesn’t happen again this election cycle, Hemmer says depending on how the election goes, he might just go back to his apartment a few blocks away and wink.

“If I need to run home, I can run,” Hemmer says. “Two miles away and two miles behind.”

We focus on ‘new vehicles’ for 2024

While Hemmer has “been through this cycle many times (before)” having covered every election cycle for Fox News since 2005, he says he’s used every opportunity he can get to prepare for election night, so he’s ready for just about anything.

“I collect things,” Hemmer says. “I have a big pile, and it gets bigger as the day goes by. You need to spend a few hours here and a few hours there to go through everything you’ve accumulated.”

Hemmer has several places around New York City and Long Island where he likes to sit and go over all the research material he has collected. Her favorite places include a library in Sag Harbor, where she also has a home, and a historic library in midtown Manhattan with “beautiful wooden tables and windows.”

Hemmer shared that he and his team at Fox News began preparing for this election in January 2021. While we were planning at the time for the midterms and how to improve coverage, its impact spilled over into preparations for the upcoming election. In every election, whether it was presidential or midterm, they tried to improve it and do it in a way that would best appeal to their audience.

“We think we were able to refine some tools that will be unique for November 5th and also help the audience understand how the story unfolds,” Hemmer says. “We’ve got some new tools, we’ve got some new ideas, and all of this, along with our analysis and the real-time information we’re getting, will make for a fascinating night for America and for all of us.” “Friends watching from abroad.”

billboard

One of the tools is “Billboard,” which, according to Hemmer, is “an excellent way to show audiences how events may be unfolding in real time.”

“My feeling is that if you allow the audience to engage in your process, you’ll win at that when you give them the perspective that you see on your side,” Hemmer says. “I think there’s such a thing as knowledge sharing, and it’s kind of an educational process that works both ways. The audience rewards you when you let them take a look inside what you’re trying to do.”

post election party

When the elections are over and the new president takes office, Hemmer said he will celebrate with a “big birthday.” The news anchor will turn 60 on November 14.

“We’re going to have a big party,” Hemmer says. “Whatever the outcome.”

Hemmer says he might consider taking a vacation around Thanksgiving, but the reality is that even after the election is over, “none of this is really going to slow down.”

“The environment will still be very ripe for very interesting and important stories here and abroad,” Hemmer says.

“That’s another way of saying you don’t take a day off,” he adds with a laugh.

Saman Shafiq is USA TODAY’s trending news reporter. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.