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How Roger Ailes Picked Trump, and Fox News’ Audience, Over Megyn Kelly
New York ^ | 8/11/15 | Gabriel Sherman

Posted on 08/13/2015 7:30:24 AM PDT by jimbo123

In the fallout since the first GOP debate, Fox News chairman Roger Ailes has found himself caught between Donald Trump, who has the full backing of Fox’s misogynist audience, and Megyn Kelly, the star anchor whom Ailes has nurtured and sees as the key to reaching younger viewers. For a few days, Ailes didn’t know how to handle Trump’s full-throated attack on Kelly, who accused Trump of sexism during the debate. Eventually, as I reported yesterday, he made the same choice he always does: follow the ratings, and mend fences with Trump. But that process has meant that Fox has had to mute its defense of Kelly, who is now watching uneasily as the Fox audience turns on her: According to one high-level source, Kelly has told Fox producers that she’s been getting death threats from Trump supporters.

While Trump barnstormed rival media outlets over the last few days, dissing Kelly and Fox at virtually every turn, Ailes remained surprisingly restrained in his response, even after Trump told CNN on Friday that Kelly had “blood coming out of her wherever” during the debate. Paralyzed by the volume of pro-Trump emails from Fox’s loyal viewers, Ailes’s only statement, released a day after the debate, said that he was “extremely proud of all of the moderators.” Fox’s famously aggressive PR apparatus has not gone after Trump to defend Kelly, and although Kelly’s executive producer Tom Lowell did send out an email to colleagues thanking them for their support in recent days, that support has been private.

(Excerpt) Read more at nymag.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: foxnews; jamesmurdoch; megynkelly; rogerailes
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To: FreeReign

Only when they decide in direct opposition to what he determines should be their answer. If their answer had agreed with his position he would have proclaimed that the people sought & exerted their rightful powers.


21 posted on 08/13/2015 7:58:14 AM PDT by Robert DeLong (u)
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To: jimbo123

Megyn Crowley has lost so much audience I guess Ailes told her to get lost for a week and a half. She just up and announced last night that she won’t be back til the 24th. Who goes on vacay in the middle of the week?

The only reason I caught her was I turned on the TV to get ready for the second half of Trump’s interview with Hannity and she was still on and announcing how she hadn’t had a vacation in 6 mos so she was off to the beach for a week and a half. Hysterical.


22 posted on 08/13/2015 7:59:00 AM PDT by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose o f a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped.)
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To: jimbo123

Because Ailes discovered that Trump is popular and that his ambush backfired.

Ailes just another little weasel who scurries in the light of day.


23 posted on 08/13/2015 8:01:14 AM PDT by RIghtwardHo
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To: HarleyLady27

Blind can see how “debate” was trying to crucify Trump and elevate Bushkin and RINOs.
Trump does not fold under “journalists” smears.
Megan, were you plying attack journalist or being moderator of debate? Ha?
24 million saw it, comments by paid talking heads can’t “fix” the truth.
Fox “balance” with RATs Juan, Heraldo, Kirstin et al is getting under our skin and turning away from Foxy News.
Good to see that Donald’s 24 mil pissed off Americans tipped the scale.
Hope and pray that Trump will get close to Reagan mold!


24 posted on 08/13/2015 8:01:50 AM PDT by Leo Carpathian (FReeeeepeesssssed)
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To: jimbo123

“Fox’s misogynist audience”

This, in an otherwise mostly (rather) objective article.
Apparently, name calling/bullying is only bad if it’s done to a them.


25 posted on 08/13/2015 8:04:16 AM PDT by ElayneJ
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To: jimbo123

Fox News thrives on the drama
Donald Trump thrives on the drama
Megyn Kelly thrives on the drama


26 posted on 08/13/2015 8:23:57 AM PDT by truth_seeker (come with the outlws.)
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To: jimbo123
Are her women viewers who seemed to own most of the facebook and twitter posts misogynist too or just the angry racist men? What a bitter marxist.

Pray America is waking

27 posted on 08/13/2015 8:24:16 AM PDT by bray (Cruz to the White House)
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To: jimbo123

The first time I remember hearing the word “misogynist” was as a description of Bill Clinton. I can never hear the word without associating it will him. I wonder how many other people have this same mental connection between this word and a major Democratic politician. Maybe the left should just avoid the word.


28 posted on 08/13/2015 8:43:22 AM PDT by conejo99
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To: bray
Again Trump shows that he knows how the game is played and he will beat you.
He wouldn't take calls from the Fox serfs and Ailes had to grovel at Don's feet to beg forgiveness and Megyn Kelly be damned. Trump gave him two scraps and Kelly went on vacation.

You know that unless Kelly apologizes, Trump and Ailes knows it can abandon those two shows at a moments notice. Ailes has his blondie and an empty news show when the biggest show is Trump. Wonder if Trump pulls press passes from Fox when on the road.
Trump is in control and will use that power to make Ailes and his blond puppet pay dearly.

29 posted on 08/13/2015 8:53:00 AM PDT by Kozy
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To: jimbo123

A tempest in a tea pot as far as I am concerned. Trump acted like a whining baby. He answered the question wrong IMHO - should have shrugged and said he sometimes speaks too bluntly, and not just to or about women. That would have ended it. Most folks know Donald Trump is a bit bombastic. It would have all blown over.

Did you catch the phrase - that Fox viewers are “misogynistic”? See how easily such accusations just flow from the liberal media so often?


30 posted on 08/13/2015 8:55:57 AM PDT by Gumdrop
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To: Gumdrop
Think Ailes is in a panic with Kelly's over nights crashing. Sending her on Vacation is a way to stop the bleeding. Unfortunately, no apologize, no groveling by
Kelly, audiences will not return.

Well Ailes you created this mess, you really thought blondie could take down Trump? He took you and the blonde serf down together and it is not over yet.

31 posted on 08/13/2015 9:06:16 AM PDT by Kozy
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To: Kozy

Bleeding????


32 posted on 08/13/2015 9:35:58 AM PDT by bray (Cruz to the White House)
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To: jimbo123; All
Hit piece.

Examples (Plus some groveling by Ailes):

Donald Trump, who has the full backing of Fox's b misogynist b audience

Trump's full-throated attack on Kelly

According to one high-level source, Kelly has told Fox producers that she’s been getting death threats from Trump supporters.

Trump barnstormed rival media outlets over the last few days, dissing Kelly and Fox at virtually every turn

Paralyzed by the volume of pro-Trump emails from Fox's loyal viewers, Ailes's only statement, released a day after the debate, said that he was "extremely proud of all of the moderators."

Since Trump’s "blood" comment on Friday, some Fox executives have wanted Ailes to personally call Trump and broker a truce. But, according to a Fox source, Ailes and his lawyer Peter Johnson Jr. felt that calling Trump was a risk they couldn't take, given Trump's erratic behavior on the campaign trail. What if Trump leaked the conversation on Twitter like he did with Lindsey Graham's cell-phone number? (When reached by email about this story, Johnson responded: "The reporting is false and obviously fabricated.")

Trump told Sean Hannity in a weekend phone call that he was 'never doing Fox again," appeared on four non-Fox public-affairs shows on Sunday, and did interviews with Today and Morning Joe on Monday, Ailes raised the white flag and picked up the phone on Monday morning. "Roger wanted a friendly relationship," the source explained.

Ailes's next order of business was getting Trump to disarm publicly. According to a source briefed on the negotiations, Ailes called Trump "multiple" times yesterday morning "begging" him to tweet out that they had made peace. Trump refused at first, but finally consented. "Roger Ailes just called," he tweeted at 10:35 a.m. yesterday. "He is a great guy & assures me that 'Trump' will be treated fairly on ‪FoxNews. His word is always good

Last night, Ailes put his own spin on it and released a statement. "We had a blunt but cordial conversation and the air has been cleared," he said, adding that Kelly is a "brilliant journalist." For her part, Kelly addressed the controversy only briefly on her show, saying simply: "I certainly will not apologize for doing good journalism."

Trump returned...on Fox and Friends. “I'm glad we’re friends again," co-host Steve Doocy said at the opening of the segment. "We’ve always been friends," Trump replied, disingenuously.

Ailes has set a dangerous precedent. The message is clear: Fox reports, but the audience decides.

"Fox reports, but the audience decides."

Maybe they will pretend to honor their slogan, "we report, you decide."LOL won't last...they have lost control, but will slide back into their Standard Operating Procedures when they feel the cost is clear.

33 posted on 08/13/2015 11:59:23 AM PDT by Syncro (FOX NEWS debate; SOP directed by Mudoch, Saudis, dems and Ailes.)
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To: Syncro; jimbo123

Fascinating how Glenn Beck rhapsodizes on Roger Ailes’ call to Donald Trump, in direct contrast to this article:

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2015/08/11/glenn-beck-speculates-that-this-is-how-the-conversation-between-donald-trump-and-roger-ailes-really-went/


34 posted on 08/14/2015 12:50:33 PM PDT by Sontagged (Woe to you when all men shall speak well of you...)
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