I doubt a Shepard Smith @ 5pm will get the ratings Beck got. Ad revenue will possibly be higher if this so called boycott is lifted. How long has this been going on, as I have never heard Beck mention this on his radio show.
I don't know if Shep is going to get that job. But, whomever gets it, doesn't need Beck's ratings. He/She just needs to improve on Beck's ad-revenue. That should be very, very easy.
"How long has this been going on...'
Since the fall of 2009, I think. Fox thought that it would eventually pass. It hasn't, and in fact it has gotten progressively worse. Then, when the ratings began to fall as well, it really became a no-brainer for Fox.