76-year-old Roger Ailes, the longtime CEO and Chairman of Fox News, is in hot water after a sexual harassment suit was filed against him by Gretchen Carlson, a former anchor, on July 6. 21st Century Fox, Fox News’ parent company, has decided to release Ailes from the network that he built over twenty years ago.
The news station, known for its somewhat controversial conservative viewpoints that reflect those of Ailes, has been incredibly successful since its inception with high ratings and an estimated annual profit of over $1 billion. It is currently the most powerful cable news station in the United States, having beat even CNN for the position. This makes Ailes’ departure seem even more surprising.
After the harassment suit was initially filed, an intensive internal review began. During its course, statements were taken from at least six other women who also reported inappropriate behavior from Ailes. According to 21st Century Fox, one of these claims was troubling enough to put an end to the CEO’s position at the company. This move was most likely done to prevent further legal action against the company, as well as to preserve its image. Despite all these claims, however, Ailes continues to deny all the allegations made against him.
Although his departure from the company is certain, the specifics of the situation have not yet been solidified. Both Ailes and 21st Century Fox are working towards an arrangement that will still recognize the work he put in, and not to mention the profits that he brought in, for the company. A possible agreement might be to allow him to continue working for Fox as a consultant.
However, Ailes’ departure raises several questions, the most important being: how is this going to affect Fox News? After all, Ailes has been leading and managing the team for over two decades and it is widely agreed that he has made it into what it is today. Will the network collapse after his leave? The answer: probably not.
Although his sudden departure will undoubtedly change the channel, it is unlikely that it will cause any drastic repercussions. Primarily due to the excitement over this year’s election, the news network’s ratings have been higher than ever, and according to former president of CBS News, Andrew Heyward, it is doubtful that viewers are leaving any time soon. “There’s a very loyal Fox audience. That was part of Roger’s brilliance: to identify a very large group that got badly underserved by mainstream TV news,” he said.
Of course, another question that comes to mind is: who is going to take over next? There are several possible candidates currently being considered by 21st Century Fox executives. Among them are Bill Shine, Fox News’ senior executive vice president for programming; David Rhodes, the current president of CBS News; Jesse Angelo, the chief executive of the New York Post; and Jay Wallace, or Michael Clemente, both of whom are Fox News senior executives.
The future of Fox News will probably not derail from its currently successful track. However, the loss of a figure that is as important as Ailes is still a shocking event, and whoever replaces him has big shoes to fill.