Fox News hires Herman Cain

Fox News announced Friday that it has hired Herman Cain, the spirited former presidential candidate and ex-pizza CEO, as a contributor for Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network.

Cain joins former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown as the latest addition to the network, which has shuffled its supporting cast in the wake of last year’s presidential election.

Bill Shine, Fox News’ executive vice president of programming, said in a statement that Cain “brings an important voice to the nation’s debates,” framing him as a “political expert with business savvy.”

Cain heralded his own hiring in the same statement.

“I’m excited about joining the Fox family as a contributor because it is an opportunity to be one more voice for intelligent thinking in American,” he said.

Cain’s new role on Fox is his second prominent media placement following his failed, yet thoroughly covered, presidential run. He recently took over for longtime syndicated conservative radio host Neal Boortz, launching his own radio show on inauguration day.

Fox News, which has made a habit of hiring high-profile conservative voices, recently chose not to renew the contracts of former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and pundit Dick Morris, whose wildly incorrect 2012 presidential predictions earned widespread criticism.

Along with the addition of Brown and Cain, the network also signed former far-left Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich. Karl Rove, the former advisor to President George W. Bush, remains signed with Fox, despite his antics on election night.

Brown, who lost his reelection bid to Democrat Elizabeth Warren, made his debut on Fox News’ “Hannity” Wednesday, panning President Obama’s State of the Union address.

Though still by far the most-watched cable news network , Fox has experienced a a post-election downturn among 25- to 54-year-olds, recording its lowest ratings among the pivotal demographic since August 2001.

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