If Murdoch goes down and Fox is sold, what happens to Roger Ailes?

[Kablooie]

Does he just slide along merrily with the sale or will he be crushed into the earth by the scandal?
From all accounts he seems to be the true true mastermind behind Fox news.

Of course it's really too early to speculate because even Murdoch's fate is yet to be determined, but even if there are big management changes at Fox, if Ailes remains, Fox News may not change.

[rpannier]

1. Depends on who Murdoch pushes down ahead of him to break his fall.

If Murdoch pushes Ailes and a few others ahead of him, then he goes down harder.
All-in-all
It will depend on what Fox looks like when the dust settles.
If it's a single entity, Fox Media, than it will probably be bought up by the Kochs, or someone like them who can afford to take the financial good Fox Network, Fox Movies, with the not-so-good.
If it's broken into entities than it's a crapshoot.
Fox Network (Home of the Simpsons) is probably the most valuable asset -- Fox Network is available in Asia, probably Europe and maybe parts of Africa, so it's very universal. FX, likewise, is available internationally.
Fox News, apart from Armed Forces TV and some hotels, is not available in most parts of the world -- contrary to what Bill O'Reilly says. Part of that is because of Fox's incendiary, xenophobic slant. Bill-o almost got it pulled off of AFN in Korea because of his slobbering lovefest over North Korea's Fearless Leader Gim Jeong-il. It's not permitted to praise the PDK over the airwaves and the Korean government was none-to-happy.
The movie part of Fox Media is probably quite valuable.
Fox sports would probably be snapped up by ESPN and that would be the end of Fox Sports.

[David Gill]

2. Fox is only worth money because of Roger Ailes

Understand why Fox News is valuable. It isn't because it's a propaganda machine. That may be Roger Ailes motive, but I'm not even sure of that.

No, obviously the value of Fox is to its advertisers. Fox News has created a captivated audience full of non-critically thinking people. They've found an audience who is more than happy to sit down and stop thinking. Roger Ailes said this himself in a memo while he was working for Richard Nixon. "Today television news is watched more often than people read newspapers, than people listen to the radio, than people read or gather any other form of communication. The reason: People are lazy. With television you just sit—watch—listen. The thinking is done for you."

So they're sitting there not thinking and then an ad comes and tells them to do something, and they do it. The other value is having a very targeted demographic. If you're selling reverse mortgages or have a cash for gold scheme you don't need to waste money so some young black kid in the city sees your ad. Advertisers know that a huge majority of Fox viewers are old, and white, and to a large extent male. Can you think of any other cable network with such a targeted audience as that?

My point is that it's the conspiracy theory, race baiting trash on Fox News that makes it so valuable to advertisers. So anyone remotely interested in buying it would almost certainly keep things the same.

[krispos42]

3. The woodchipper for him.

Of justice, of course. I'm speaking metaphorically.





See, that's Scotland Yard shoving ol' Roger in the Royal Woodchipper of Justice, one inch at a time.

[KT2000]

4. He will go back to

theater where he came from - probably musicals.

[Kennah]

5. What? Wait, I'm confused.

Ailes is the President of Fox News Channel. What do you mean GO BACK to theater?

[KT2000]

13. Check out Rolling Stone

Jun 9, 2011 He started his career in theater before he entered politics.

The article is a good read. He thinks that al Queda is after him so he has body guards at all times, bought all property surrounding his house and insisted on bullet proof glass in his office. A real nut case.

[Kennah]

14. Isn't Fox News already theater?

[KT2000]

17. It sure is

but I hear the musicals calling him.
Could you imagine working in theater for that creep? Ugh.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

18. I'm sure he was a regular Max Bialystock. nt

[KharmaTrain]

6. If The Kochs Buy It...

...he'll get a promotion...

[malaise]

7. One the the things DUers should be watching is

who jumps ship and tries to sure up a job elsewhere.
I hope no one hires the Fox goons.

[Motown_Johnny]

8. I am guessing his golden parachute is diamond encrusted

and am not going to waste time worrying about him

[xchrom]

9. his fat ass implodes and is noted as strange meterological event. nt

[HopeHoops]

10. I can think of some rather unpleasant but appropriate things.

[malaise]

11. I hope he ends up as a homeless man

somewhere in America

[Javaman]

12. he will retain his job as a sock puppet for the koch brothers. nt

[craigmatic]

15. If Ailes leaves fox news will still be right wing but ailes will probably start a new channel.

Then it'll be 2 right wing stations competing against each other. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing.

[WCGreen]

16. A really ugly pinata...

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

19. He'll go back to his old job as Jabba The Hut's stunt double. nt