Fox News losing star host Bill O’Reilly might not hurt the network as much as people think. Tucker Carlson will take over his 8 p. ET time slot. The article prompted 21st Century Fox to investigate the host’s behavior. In addition, many brands pulled their ads from his show including BMW and Hyundai. But what matters more than ad sales is how O’Reilly’s ousting will potentially impact affiliate fees, or the portion of cable and satellite subscription costs that gets paid to the specific network, DiClemente said. People upset about O’Reilly’s forced departure may quit their cable subscriptions, and Fox News would lose out on those fees, DiClemente said. But, when former anchor Megyn Kelly left the network, her replacement Carlson actually increased the ratings for that time slot, DiClemente said. The network is not reliant on specific personalities, he argued.