The president of Fox News, Roger Ailes, resigned as the network’s chief after a number of female employees accused him of sexual harassment.The network’s parent company, 21st Century Fox, announced his resignation on Thursday.
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The 85-year-old media mogul has stepped in as chairman and acting chief executive of Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network, replacing the former NBC executive he hired as founding CEO 20 years ago.
Ailes will receive about $40 million as part of a settlement agreement, according to two people briefed on the matter, which essentially amounts to the remainder of his existing employment contract through 2018.
Although Ailes ran Fox News, Murdoch has always taken a strong interest in the operation, even sitting in on editorial meetings, according to one 21st Century Fox executive. 21st Century Fox CEO James Murdoch, the elder son of Murdoch, is pushing the whole company to step up its game in digital distribution and advertising technology.
“There is no clear successor to run the network once Ailes leaves”.
In a letter to Murdoch, Ailes said he “will not allow my presence to become a distraction from the work that must be done every day to ensure that Fox News and Fox Business continue to lead our industry”. “If Fox tries to recast itself it is likely to fail”, said Chris Harper, a former ABC News correspondent who is now a journalism professor at Temple University.
Mr Murdoch said he and Mr Ailes created a network that stands “in stark contrast to the self-serving elitism that characterises far too much of the media”. Ailes did not comment in the resignation announcement.
Ailes’ downfall began with the July 6 lawsuit filing by Carlson, who charged that he sabotaged her career because she refused his suggestions for sex and had complained about a pervasive atmosphere of sexual harassment at Fox.
Before the charges, Fox’s sheer success had insulated Ailes despite some previous scrapes with the Murdoch sons over who he would report to.
Inside Fox News, starting on Tuesday, when Ailes’ departure suddenly began to seem inevitable, A-list hosts and rank and file producers alike were in the dark and anxious about what would come next. FILE – In this January 30, 1996 file photo, Roger Ailes, left, speaks at a news conference as Rupert Murdoch looks on after it was announced that Ailes will be chairman and CEO of Fox News.
There are a wide variety of emotions, inside and outside Fox, about Ailes’ impending departure.
Insiders have speculated that Ailes could jump to a rival channel or join a political campaign.
Conservatives watch closely for signs – and even reports that Rupert Murdoch’s son James is more liberal than numerous network’s personalities is regarded with suspicion, said Tim Graham, director of media analysis for the conservative media watchdog Media Research Center. Numerous hosts, correspondents and producers said they had not heard from Ailes in several days – unusual for him, especially with such a big political story going on. The announcement made no reference to the recent allegations but said News Corp.
The company statement made no mention of the lawsuit or its review of the allegations.
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Roger Ailes is considered one of the most powerful men in television, having built Fox News from the ground up over the last 20 years to become a dominant player in American politics.
