Fox News co-presidents Jack Abernethy and Bill Shine, who were tapped to lead the network after the departure of Roger Ailes, have signed multiyear contracts, 21st Century Fox Inc.FOX -0.04 % said Wednesday. 21st Century Fox Chairman Rupert Murdoch took charge of the Fox News last month after Ailes stepped down amid charges of sexual harassment.
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He said the new contracts “ensur [e] stability and leadership to help guide the network for years to come”.
Both men will continue to oversee both Fox News and Fox Business, while dividing their respective duties between the business side (Abernathy) and programming (Shine).
NEW YORK (AP) Fox News co-presidents Jack Abernethy and Bill Shine have signed new long-term contracts. He will also be responsible for all business components of Fox News and Fox Business, including finance, advertising sales and distribution. Shine runs all programming and news functions of each network, including production, technical operations and talent management. Ailes has denied the charges but Fox News parent 21st Century Fox settled the case on Ailes’ behalf for $20 million on September 6. His responsibilities at FOX News evolved to include oversight of finance, legal & business affairs and affiliate sales.
Shine, previously the senior executive vice president in charge of programming, had been one of Ailes’ top lieutenants, overseeing the channel’s top-rated opinion shows. Shine has been at the network since it’s inception in 1996 and was Ailes’ de facto No. 2. In this capacity, he ran all programming and synergies for both networks. He began his Fox career as a producer for the prime-time program “Hannity and Colmes”. He also served as the executive producer of The Pulse, an investigative newsmagazine on FOX Broadcasting from 2001 to 2003.
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21st Century Fox and News Corp,NWS 0.63 % which owns The Wall Street Journal, share common ownership. “He’s got more energy and ideas than ever”, Murdoch said at an investor conference in NY.
