Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes Gets a $40 Million Payout

Roger Ailes on Thursday stepped down as chairman and chief executive of Fox News Channel following claims of sexual harassment, an unexpected ending to his 20-year rein over the most successful and strong cable news channel for conservatives of America. Ailes has denied the charges. Current and past employees for Fox News were interviewed, and others reportedly said they had experienced some kind of sexual harassment. But even Ailes’s detractors and rivals acknowledge he created a cash cow for parent company 21st Century Fox, which has said Fox News generated around 20% of its operating profit.

Ailes will have no formal role in the company, but is expected to serve as an informal adviser to Murdoch, said a person familiar with the agreement who spoke on condition of anonymity because it is a personnel matter.

Murdoch and 21st Century Fox did not address the widening scandal in the statement on the resignation but lauded Ailes for his contributions. “Roger shared my vision of a great and independent television organisation and executed it brilliantly over 20 great years”, Rupert Murdoch, who will take over immediately as chairman and acting CEO of Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network, said in a communique. How does Ailes’s golden parachute stack up against other famous departures?

“The fact that Rupert Murdoch was named chairman and CEO shows how hard it is to find someone with the name and recognition of Roger Ailes”, said news consultant Andrew Heyward, a former CBS News president. To lead a flourishing news channel, and to build Fox Business, Roger has defied the odds.

In founding Fox, Messrs.

In his letter, Ailes, 76, said that he was stepping down because he had become a distraction. “(Ailes’) grasp of policy and his ability to make profoundly important issues accessible to a broader audience stand in stark contrast to the self-serving elitism that characterizes far too much of the media”.

Cutting short a vacation, the 85-year-old Murdoch addressed Fox News employees in NY on Thursday. Winning over the younger demographics that are most appealing to advertisers could require some significant changes in its programming and talent. James and his brother, Lachlan, are top executives who run 21st Century Fox. Kelly is a rising star at Fox News and her contract expires in the middle of next year. The first priority is to have someone who can calm the waters and keep Fox running smoothly through the election, Doctor said. Any sign that Fox was losing its tough, take-no-prisoners attitude without Ailes could at least raise suspicions with its loyal fans. James Murdoch was traveling in Europe. Multiple women have stepped forward with similar allegations – including high-profile anchor Megyn Kelly, according to NY magazine.

In a statement, Carlson’s attorneys credited Carlson’s “extraordinary courage” with causing “a seismic shift in the media world”. They declined to make Ms. Carlson available for comment.

At about 4 p.m. on Thursday, Fox News staff members gathered in the basement newsroom at the network’s headquarters. “It’s a big night tonight”, anchor Bret Baier said. He would then decide whether a viewer would be interested enough to turn up the volume.

In Ailes’s wake, Kristol hopes to see “more arguing, less bullying”.