Former Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin has signed to be a contributor on the Fox News Channel, her lawyer has said.

阿拉斯加前州长萨拉·佩琳已与福克斯新闻频道签署协议成为一名投稿人。

Mrs Palin has growing popularity among US conservatives

Mrs Palin, who ran for the post of vice-president during the 2008 election on a Republican ticket, stepped down辞职，退位 as Alaska governor in July 2009.

Fox News said that while Mrs Palin would not have her own programme, she would appear on the channel regularly as part of a multi-year deal.

Financial details of the deal have not been released.

"I am thrilled to be joining the great talent and management team at Fox News," Mrs Palin said in a statement on the network's website.

"It's wonderful to be part of a place that so values fair and balanced news."

Fox's executive vice-president for programming, Bill Shine, said Mrs Palin had "captivated everyone on both sides of the political spectrum光谱，频谱".

"We are excited to add her dynamic动态的，有活力的 voice to the Fox News line-up," he added.

Mrs Palin was catapulted to fame when Republican presidential candidate John McCain surprisingly chose her as his running mate for the 2008 election.

News of her resignation as governor 17 months before her term in office was up had prompted speculation¹ that she was planning to pursue a career in television.

The Washington Post reports that as well as appearing as a commentator评论员，解说员 on a variety of shows on the channel, she would occasionally host a programme featuring "inspirational tales involving ordinary Americans".

Correspondents say hiring Sarah Palin is likely to further increase the network's ratings with conservative viewers.

Facebook page

A number of Republican commentators³ already work for the network, among them George W Bush's former aide Karl Rove, former House speaker Newt Gingrich, and John McCain's rival for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination⁴, Mike Huckabee.

Until now, Mrs Palin has mainly used her page on the social networking site Facebook to update her more than one million followers⁵.

Regular appearances on a major network could further increase her support among conservatives.

Her appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show in November 2009, during which she said a run for the White House in 2012 was "not on my radar⁶ screen right now", boosted the programme's ailing生病的，体衰的 ratings.

It is not the first time Mrs Palin will be signing on with a TV station. In the 1980s she worked part-time as a sports presenter⁸ for the KTUU station in Anchorage, Alaska.