Wallace initiated move to Fox

ABC News’ Chris Wallace said he was the one who initiated his move to Fox News, announced Monday, after he tuned in to the channel’s coverage of the Iraq war and came to the conclusion that the network “gets an unfair rap” by being labeled conservative.

Wallace, 56, will replace Tony Snow as anchor of “Fox News Sunday” on the Fox broadcast network, and he will anchor and play a role in campaign coverage for cable’s Fox News Channel. He starts in two weeks.

“If you watch Fox across the day, its reporting is serious and aggressive and watchable and largely even-handed,” said Wallace, whose contract at ABC, where he has been since 1989, was expiring.

Moreover, he said, “In an era of so-called decline in the TV news business, Fox is the one place there is a sense of energy and optimism about the future,” while Sunday morning, where Fox’s show is in fourth place, is the one time of day to be able to talk to newsmakers at length.

Wallace said it was too soon to say what changes he will make, but “we will be doing our best to try to move up” in the ratings.

-- Elizabeth Jensen