Fox News is on it's Death Bed

[ZX86]

The succession question seems to be taking on new urgency after three sources say Ailes threatened to quit this summer when Murdoch elevated his sons, Lachlan and James, to take over the media empire. After their promotions were announced, Ailes put out his own statement on Fox Business that declared he would continue reporting directly to Rupert. Eventually, an uneasy accord was reached: Rupert gave Ailes a new contract, but Fox issued a follow-up press release clarifying that Ailes would report to Rupert as well as Lachlan and James. Since that stinging public rebuke, executives have noticed Rupert around the Fox News hallways. “He’s marking his territory,” one person briefed on the matter told me. “There’s a little bit of a pissing match with Roger. Rupert is basically saying, ‘I know you built this place, but I own it and I’ll remind you of that by coming here.’”

… Meanwhile, Fox hosts and producers tell me Ailes has been a somewhat diminished force at the network. In 2014, he took an extended leave of absence after a health scare. He still has trouble walking and rarely ventures out of his executive suite. A friend who ran into Ailes in Palm Beach over the holidays remarked that he was using a walker. “He seems detached and removed,” one Fox personality tells me. “He’s not around as much,” says another friend of Ailes. “He doesn’t have as many meetings with talent.”

http://crooksandliars.com/2016/01/roger-ailes-reportedly-diminished-force

It's a safe bet Lachlan and James Murdoch consider Fox News an embarrassment. Once they begin to exert full control I'm confident they will turn Fox News into a straight news organization (i.e. Ted Turner era CNN) and drop the rabid, right wing, angry Hooter's Girls motif.

[Siwsan]

1. "Angry Hooter Girls" - BWAHAAAAAA

I have that channel blocked, and have never watched any of its shows, but 'Angry Hooter Girls' is probably one of the best descriptives I've ever read.

[Eleanors38]

58. Shares in peroxide hair dye will plunge.

[rjsquirrel]

2. Why is it a "safe bet" Murdoch's sons

are going to change anything? Is there any evidence of their purported "embarrassment?" Why wouldn't they milk the same profitable grift until the last old racist angry white guy kicks the bucket?

[ZX86]

5. Because they are not a couple of dirty old men

born at the beginning of the last century. I'm sure they do not cherish the thought of standing in between Jennifer Lawrence and JJ Abrams at some fancy Hollywood cocktail party trying to explain away why their network is denying climate change, why they are being sued by Paris for lying about "no go zones", and why their broadcasts resemble more of an up skirt peep show in the tender loin district rather than a world class news network.

[rjsquirrel]

7. There are plenty

of dirty young men.

I've seen no evidence whatsoever Murdoch's sons are more honorable than the old man.

[ZX86]

14. There's no love lost between them and Roger Ailes.

They hate each other. In addition they are competent business executives that can recognize the Fox News audience is literally dying off. I've got milk in my refrigerator that will last longer than that business model.

[rjsquirrel]

8. Also

please show me a "world class news network" that doesn't use female anchors as sex objects.

If you say BBC or RT I'll laugh hard.

[ZX86]

13. There's a difference between attractive newscasters

the blatant up skirt peep shows that is the Fox News Network.

[hedda_foil]

23. The two on the ends seem too have forgotten to wear panties.

[melman]

11. It's a safer bet

they don't give a shit about any of that as long as they're making money.

[ZX86]

15. They know how to make plenty of money

with out embarrassing themselves in front of their peer group. They are not some recluse holed up in some hotel suite like Howard Hughes or some dottering old man born at the beginning of the last century who needs some silicone laden platinum blonde at their side to feel like a real man.

Their contemporaries are modern, liberal, Hollywood movie executives. That's the environment they operate in and will behave accordingly.

[Marr]

42. Their contemporaries are other mega wealthy sons/daughters of privilege.

The executive class are basically their valets. I doubt they give two shits about what JJ Abrams thinks. He's another working plebe from their perspective.

[ZX86]

46. Disagree

Lachlan and James Murdoch are actual hands on, working executives in their industry. Not trust fund kids who just show up at stock holders meetings and count their money. They have to network with other power brokers in their industry and make deals.

I'm quite confident they don't cherish the thought of Jay Z approaching them at some gala Hollywood event and asking why their employee Bill O'Reilly is calling his wife a slut on national TV.

[Maru Kitteh]

50. I hope you are right, I really do

Because it would be better by far for the country if you are.

[dem in texas]

26. I agree, Fox News is a money machine for Rupert's Empire

They have found a niche where they can sell lots of advertising, why would they change it? Money rules all with them.

[Lint Head]

3. I don't give a good damn who or what changes that

piece of shit company. I pray they go bankrupt. Too much blood is on their hands.

[ZX86]

6. While I appreciate and share your disgust.

Fox News is just a fraction of the Fox empire which includes 20th Century Fox Films. They still own the first Star Wars movie. They are not going bankrupt anytime soon.

[Jim Beard]

17. rupert still own several newspapers in Australia and England

[Lint Head]

28. I'm totally referring to they'renews arm. Star Wars

is not reporting absolute lies on a daily basis.

[Blue_Adept]

31. They only own distribution rights on home video for the original films.

Not the actual content or anything else associated with it.

[ZX86]

34. Which is a license to print money.

The point is Fox News is only a fraction of the Fox empire.

[yeoman6987]

27. MSNBC and CNN would go bankrupt before Fox News

That is the reality.

[Kingofalldems]

33. Just like clockwork.

[TheBlackAdder]

4. I'm sure the sons are pricks just like their old man. Look at the son in England. nt

[ZX86]

9. While there is no shortage of pricks

at the executive level of the corporate media establishment Lachlan and James Murdoch are not right wing ideologues. They know how to make money hand over fist without embarrassing themselves in front of their peer group.

[Greybnk48]

10. Agreed. They're probably a couple of pricks too.

The nuts don't fall far from the tree.

[ZX86]

20. I disagee.

This situation is more like Ronald Reagan and offspring Ron Reagan and Patti Davis and less like Fred Koch and his sons Charles and David.

[malaise]

12. Just keep Ailes alive long enough to lose another Presidential elections

Clearly he has serious health issues

[Jim Beard]

18. Maybe its just me but I think Ailes connection to Bush's "Turd Blossom"

Carl Rove

[malaise]

21. Would explain why JebusenoughfuggingBushes is going nowhere n/t

[TrollBuster9090]

16. Of COURSE The Baron Harkonnen Was Pissed Off. Management of Arrakis Was Supposed To Go

Management of Arrakis was supposed to go to HIS nephews! Not the Emperor's sons.

[Initech]

19. This is the exact plot of the show Empire!

Murdoch: I'm building an empire for my sons to run!
Ailes: But where's my empire? Why don't I get a piece of the empire?

[dembotoz]

22. like the death of the gop.....way premature

[ZX86]

35. Two years ago

I would have said the same thing about the ban on gay marriage, pot legalization, and a socialist running for president.

[dembotoz]

44. i live in fox and tea party land.....no signs of distress in either of them around here

infact stronger than ever

[ZX86]

49. Even in Fox and Tea Party Land

Gays can marry. They can also get gay wedding cake, gay wedding flowers, gay Obamacare, you name it. Fox and Tea Party Land isn't what it used to be.

[CommonSenseDemocrat]

24. Just like they will the NY Post? N/t

[brooklynite]

25. I don't think they care if it's an embarrassment; they care if it's turning a profit.

[ZX86]

37. It's not an either/or proposition.

They don't need to embarrass themselves to make money and that audience is literally dying off regardless. I don't know anybody under 50 who watches Fox News. Having the largest ratings doesn't mean much if the majority of your audience is living in nursing homes and the only advertising you can sell is Car Canes, big button phones, and reverse mortgages.

[briv1016]

29. "The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated."

As long as they keep spewing hate the republicans will continue to watch and keep them profitable. At the end of the day they are in business of making money.

[ZX86]

38. Their revenue stream isn't limited to Fox News

Trust me. Fox News could go belly up tomorrow and they'll still be able to wipe their asses with hundred dollar bills for the rest of their lives. But there are several reasons why Fox News will change.

1. Lachlan and James Murdoch are not right wing ideologues. You don't see them at Value Voter summits, promoting looney right wing causes and candidates, or making fevered tweets about race relations, unions, immigration, etc.

2. They hate Roger Ailes. I'm pretty sure it's not because he isn't right wing enough.

3. Fox News business model is on the fast track to obsolescence. Just because they are #1 in ratings doesn't mean they aren't doomed. VHS was the #1 video format in 1995. Two years later in was over.

4. They have other business concerns. They are essentially movie moguls who operate in liberal Hollywood and want to fit in with their peers. Fox News right wing nut baggery will be a distraction to their business and social interests.

[Fla Dem]

43. There are and have been many RW conservative "Hollywood" actors and moguls. Liberal Hollywood

is a myth Rethugs perpetuate to denigrate any big star supporting a Democratic candidate.

ACTORS
Fred Astaire
Adam Baldwin
Stephen Baldwin
James Caan
Dean Cain
Michael Caine
Kirk Cameron
Fred Dalton Thompson
Robert Davi
Shannen Doherty
Robert Downey, Jr.
Clint Eastwood
Michael J. Fox
Andy Garcia
Teri Garr[14]
Mel Gibson
Kelsey Grammer
Melissa Joan Hart
Dennis Hopper
Patricia Heaton
Charlton Heston
Victoria Jackson
Christopher Lee
Rob Lowe
Susan Lucci
John Malkovich
Eva Mendez
Craig T. Nelson
Leslie Nielsen
Chuck Norris
Gary Oldman
Ronald Reagan
John Rhys-Davies
Joan Rivers
Kurt Russell
Adam Sandler
Dwight Schultz
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Jerry Seinfeld
Tom Selleck
Sherri Shephard
Gary Sinise
Kevin Sorbo
James Stewart
Sylvester Stallone
Vince Vaughn
Jon Voight
Jimmie Walker
Marion John Wayne
Bruce Willis
James Woods

More>>>> http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Fun:Hollywood_conservatives

[ZX86]

45. Clearly 3/4 of that list are blithering idiots

with the remaining being greedy, self centered, narcissistic, opportunists. Traits and behaviors Hollywood is famous for. Their conservatism is a bug, not a feature.

Note: The number of A list talent on that list is pretty thin. Many on that list is the WORST Hollywood has to offer. Talent-less hacks doesn't begin to describe them.

[KamaAina]

53. Teri Garr?!

NOOOOOOOOO!!

[JI7]

30. i don't buy this crap that the Sons are different . CNN sucks even more than Fox

at least with Fox people know they are right wing . but CNN is seen as the balanced unbiased network by too many .

[ZX86]

40. The sons are different.

Just like Ron Reagan Jr. is different than Ronald Reagan and Angela Jolie is different than Jon Voight.

[JI7]

47. i haven't seen any evidence of it yet

[ZX86]

48. They hate Roger Ailes.

The Murdoch brothers (CEO James and executive chairman Lachlan) stepped into new leadership positions at 21st Century Fox in July, as their 84-year-old father, Rupert, took a step back. The move prompted speculation about Ailes’s future at Fox News and the network’s direction. While Ailes and Rupert Murdoch are famously close, Murdoch’s progeny reportedly are not big fans of Fox News.

The New York Times reported in 2010 that Lachlan left his father’s company in part because “he thought Mr. Ailes was intruding on his corporate turf,” while James is “sympathetic to Democratic causes” and, along with his sister, Elisabeth, “frequently voiced concerns to their father during [the 2008] presidential campaign about Fox News’s coverage of [then-Sen. Barack] Obama.”

www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/12/01/roger-ailes-and-rupert-murdochs-sons-arent-exactly-best-friends-yet/

There's plenty of evidence if you look.

[melman]

59. But unlike those people

neither of the Murdochs has ever publicly said anything that distances themselves from their father's views.

[ZX86]

60. Apples and oranges

Lachlan and James Murdoch are working in a corporate environment where their father is still the boss. Those others are not.

[melman]

62. There you go

The fact that they both make a lot of money working for NewsCorp ought to show you how committed they are to these supposed different ideas.

[ZX86]

63. In the real world

People make compromises all the time. What would you if you were heir to a billion dollar media empire? Blow it all off, quit your job and disown your family to teach yoga in the park because you can't wait to inherit it all in a few years? You need to make all the changes you want right fucking now?

I don't know about you but I differ with my employers on lots of issues. I don't quit my job to prove how much I'm committed to those ideas. I gotta pay the rent.

[madokie]

32. A change will be welcomed

But I doubt that I can ever forget what they've done to our country since the weasel from NY, during the wee hours of the night, slipped a passage in a bill that was being voted on in a few hours the right for Murdock and fox noise to become a 'news' organization.

It's right up there with the overhaul of the Telecommunication act as it was for years during Bills term.

[n2doc]

36. Just like all of those articles predicting the demise of the Republican Party

I'll believe it when I see it.

[ZX86]

39. Just you wait.

The Republican National Convention will be a cluster fuck of epic proportions. I predict human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!

[cherokeeprogressive]

56. But your post was about FNC

[cherokeeprogressive]

55. That's the first thing I always think when I see "x is toast" posts.

We have an expression about the weather where I live... "don't believe what you hear about the weather until you see it on the ground."

I'll believe FNC is dead when I see the cable/satellite companies lowering its casket into the ground i.e. removing it from their basic packages.

[librechik]

41. without Ailes, Fox is no longer "GOP TV"

They'll turn it into another USAToday.

Damage has been done, though. The brainwashing Fox gave this country will stick around for decades. We'll never be the same, especially since it culminated in Citizens United. Mission accomplished. Fox runners can skitter back under the floorboards to do their work. Much cheaper, BTW.

[doc03]

51. Why would you mess with a good thing, you tell people what they want to hear

you get ratings and that equals money. Yesterday I was at the gym and was forced to see Fox, with all the news over the prisoner
release and nuclear compliance by Iran they are running script on the bottom of the screen. Meanwhile on main screen they have 4 Republican talking heads telling everyone to be afraid the stock market and the world economy is crashing and it's Obama's fault.

[ZX86]

52. If you're watching at the gym

Chances are you're not in the market for a Car Cane, medic alert button, or a walk in bath tub. Ratings do not automatically turn into advertising revenue dollars. Their audience is literally dying.

[doc03]

61. You have a point you forgot the Viagra and reverse mortgage ads.

[47of74]

54. Rupert marking his territory? EWWWWWWWWWWWW

[Eleanors38]

57. "He doesn't have as many meetings with talent."