Fox News made a smart move by hiring Kate DePetro as its behind-the-scenes insider. DePetro, a former assistant to Dana Perino, will create content as an “insider” for Fox News Now. She’ll show viewers how the network and its sister properties operate. Honestly, I think it’s perfect.
The network has done a fantastic job building its tribe in older demographics. Cable news is a daily habit for that crowd, and Fox News owns the category. Younger viewers, however, don’t live on cable. They live on digital platforms, and this role targets them there.
Digital platforms reward one thing above almost everything else: a glimpse into how the sausage gets made. I’ve written about this before, and the principle hasn’t changed. People who love your brand want to know everything about it.
Why the Sausage Sells
Consider the NFL. Do you think franchises post videos of equipment staffers prepping rookies for their first practice because a contract requires it? Hell no. They post them because fans want to see that stuff. Fans also want to watch the team chef plan meals, cook all the food, and explain what players do and don’t eat.
Barstool Sports rode the same strategy to its heights. I don’t know the exact percentages, but it feels like half of Barstool’s content is about Barstool itself. That isn’t an accident.
Consequently, the audience feels like part of the family, and fans keep coming back.
An Insider With Real Credibility
DePetro isn’t an outsider playing a part. She’s lived it. She worked overnights as a production assistant on Fox & Friends, and she later helped supervise the show’s green room. Then she spent two years as Perino’s assistant, where she helped build the anchor’s social media presence.
That background matters. Authenticity is the entire game here. A polished corporate host would feel forced. Someone who’s spent years in the green room, though, can introduce familiar faces in a fresh way.
She’s also working on The Vow, a Fox Nation dating series that Chris Harrison hosts. Clearly, Fox trusts her with more than one project.
A Low-Risk Test With High Upside
Now, Fox News gets to test the strategy. The network hasn’t detailed how often DePetro will post, so the early results remain a mystery. Still, I’d bet dollars to donuts this does well. Younger audiences get a glimpse into a brand they either already know or are discovering for the first time. Some of them will become fans because of this content.
Meanwhile, the older audience keeps doing what it does. Fox News doesn’t have to give up anything to chase younger viewers. In other words, it adds without subtracting.
Furthermore, the format is cheap, repeatable, and native to the platforms where younger people spend their time.
Of course, execution matters. Viewers can smell a scripted peek behind the curtain from a mile away. DePetro needs real access, real personality, and a little unpolished mess.
If Fox News gives her that freedom, the content will land. If it over-manages her, the audience will notice immediately.
The Bigger Picture
Other media brands already prove this works. Podcasts regularly pull listeners in with bonus content about how the show comes together. Radio morning shows build loyalty by sharing the chaos inside the studio.
Likewise, streaming services release making-of clips because curious fans devour them. Fans don’t just want the finished product. They want the story of how it came together.
Cable news has lagged behind here. Traditionally, networks guarded their newsrooms, green rooms, and production meetings like state secrets. Now, those spaces are the content.
Fox News understands that shift, and DePetro gives the network a friendly face to lead it.
The Bottom Line
Ultimately, this hire fits the moment. Fox News already owns its loyal television audience. Now it’s courting the viewers who’ll define the next decade of news consumption, and it’s doing so with someone who knows the building inside and out. Of course, a single hire won’t transform the network’s digital footprint overnight.
But it’s a smart first step, and it’s one that other cable outlets should watch closely. If DePetro delivers what fans crave — the people, the personalities, and the process — Fox News will have found a new way to grow its tribe. I’m eager to see the first few videos.
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