My take....no inside info, just a hunter reading the sign.
1. Fox News head Roger Aiels is a fellow traveler with the Republican Royals. Everything Fox does serves the GOP power establishment.....including showing just enough red meat like Hannity to keep the Tea Party types tuned in and conned.
Evidence - the serial elevation, celebration, then destruction of every presidential candidate EXCEPT Romney.
2. The GOP establishment is once again nervous that the Tea Party peasants may get out of hand and lynch a few of their own in the 2014 cycle.....SO....back bench Hannity, the last of the headliner bombthrowers at Fox...who as we know carrys water for every uber conservative and patriot.
They did it to Beck...they did it to Judge Napolitano..others?..now Hannity....and they replace Hannity with this cow?
She is bright but not schooled, aggressive but arrogant, has lots of hours....but no world experience. IT is a hilarity that anybody claims she hits in the league with O’Reilly, Hannity, Beck, or other conservative/libertarian talking heads.
She is above O’Reilly the bloviator. He is the biggest joke of a conservative EVER. O’Reilly who bowed down to O’bama for a suck up interview. Bill is in it for Bill and the bills.
My only speculation is possibly Ailes is doing what needs to be done when the political parties control the airways/licenses and have their middle finger poised above the key marked "Fairness Doctrine" so he adjusts tactics accordingly.
Or, maybe he's just been rolling in that stuff so long as a part of the job that he's been infected, too, or has gotten old enough that he just doesn't care as he once did.
Success is its own revenge.