LAUREN GREEN: I was Fox News Channel’s first on-air hire. Here’s how a dream became a powerhouse

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A plywood board resting on two sawhorses was the anchor desk.There was a single camera, no prompter, and a small office tucked away from the construction zone.My official start date was August 5, 1996, which was nearly two months before the first broadcast.But a few weeks earlier, I came to New York City to look for an apartment with my mother, and we were given a tour ofthe newsroomon C-1 (aka the basement).It was huge.Down to the studs, it was being transformed into the nerve center of the newest cable news channel.

During those first weeks, a ragtag crew of producers and writers and I were tasked with churning out practice newscasts to see how it would feel to do seven minutes of news at the top and bottom of every hour.It was a daunting task, as we were also creating a format and learning what worked and what didn’t.Pretty soon, we moved off-site to a rented studio to have greater access to cameras and equipment before the launch.

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In the summer of 1996, for those who are old enough to remember, the blockbuster movie “Independence Day” was released.It made more than $100 million during its opening week.And I thought, “Wow!This cable network is bound for success if this is the kind of quality handiwork it puts out.”

That prediction proved truer than I could have imagined.It is a juggernaut that others are chasing and seeking to emulate, if only in style, if not substance.

The newsroom is a new, state-of-the-art facility on the second floor (the C-1 space is now a company fitness center).

I’ve got a new office, which I continually fill to the gills with books about religion and theology.