Bret Baier is tapped to succeed Brit Hume

Fox News Channel has selected White House correspondent Bret Baier to replace Brit Hume as anchor of its weekday 3 p.m. newscast.

Hume is cutting back to part-time work at Fox and was anchoring his last newscast Tuesday. Baier will start his new job Jan. 5.

Baier is familiar to viewers of the show as Hume’s occasional substitute and from his work as Fox’s top person in the White House. He said he plans “on continuing to maintain the prestige of the program in every way I know how.”