By Lucas Shaw
Bloomberg
21st Century Fox Inc. plans to remove Roger Ailes, the chairman and chief executive officer of Fox News who has been accused of sexual harassment by former anchor Gretchen Carlson, according to New York Magazine.
Fox Co-Chairman Rupert Murdoch and his sons Lachlan and James agree that Ailes should depart, though they haven’t reached a consensus on the timing and nature of his exit, the magazine reported, citing people it didn’t identify.
Ailes’ firing would be a stunning fall for one of the most successful media consultants and TV executives of the last half-century. The former adviser to Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan teamed with Fox co-chairman Rupert Murdoch to found Fox News in 1996, and built it into one of the most profitable properties in all of media.
Fox ranks as one of the highest-rated cable networks every month, and is a huge source of profits for Fox. The company’s cable networks, led by the news channel, accounted for about half of 21st Century Fox’s revenue last year and more than two-thirds of operating income.
Ailes was sued for alleged sexual harassment by Carlson, who claimed she was fired in June for refusing his sexual advances and complaining about his conduct. The allegations prompted 21st Century Fox to begin an internal review. Her accusations were followed by claims from several other women, all of which allegedly occurred before the Fox News Channel began airing.
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