Posted on 06/20/2005 6:19:20 PM PDT by wagglebee
Fox News chairman Roger Ailes has agreed to run Fox’s new business cable channel – reluctantly.
Ailes, who was hired by News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch to launch Fox News in 1996, has been wary about putting his reputation on the line a second time, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal Monday.
Fox News, which he launched from scratch, has been highly successful, and passed CNN in 2002 to become the country’s top-rated cable news channel.
Murdoch is now nearing an agreement with Time Warner Inc.’s cable division to carry the new business channel, and it’s slated to launch in the first half of 2006, after missing several previous deadlines.
But viewership of TV business news has lagged in recent years due to disillusionment in the stock market following the dot.com crash. CNBC’s Business Day programming now has an average audience of 153,000 viewers, down from 383,000 five years ago.
And because of the number of channels already on the dial, "launching a new cable channel has never been harder,” the Journal reports.
"Most operators will make channels available only at the high end of the dial, on digital channels that reach fewer than half of cable subscribers. Low-numbered channels are prized because they reach all cable homes.”
Fox News parent News Corp. also plans to make the new business channel available on its DirecTV satellite service.
But Murdoch is reportedly reluctant to go ahead with the cable launch until he seals a deal with Time Warner Cable, which controls the critical Manhattan market and its audience of stock traders, advertisers and media executives. Satellite service is spotty in Manhattan.
Fox is hoping to get a low-numbered channel in New York City but will settle for a digital channel in other markets, according to the Journal.
Ailes told a gathering of media executives that to succeed, the new cable channel would need to reach 40 million homes within three years.
Fox News Channel now reaches 87 million homes.
if the anchors are Rebecca Gomez, Lauren Green, Patti Ann Brown, and Jane Skinner, the channel will do well. Here's an idea for a show: David Asman and Brenda Buttner cohost nightly: The Assman-Buttner report.
Fox is 71 on my cable, I rarely go below 35 on the dial. Low number means nothing to me.
My cable sorts groups all the channels by programming. 34 -CNN, 35- Headline News, 36-CNBC, 37-FOX. We don't get MSNBC.
All Sports channels are grouped together, all music channels are grouped together etc...
I watch Fox News, the History Channel, and occasionally A&E and the Discovery Channel. I rent or buy all of the movies I want to watch, I used to watch "Oz" on HBO, but aside from that I haven't watched any movie channels in years. So basically, I could care less what number a channel has.
KEWT!!!!
That's a steep target.
ALRIGHT fellow Oz Fan rack ittt
I hope Neil Cavato goes to Fox news business channel you know what I wonder if my Dish network be carrying it I hope so
Methinks Ailes should recruit Kudlow and Cramer.
Fox News, Comedy Central, CNBC, the Food Network, the Travel Channel and the History Channel are all I watch.
I once sold popcorn to the actor who plays the head of the skinheads on Oz. Great show, but I haven't seen it in years.
Are you talking about one play Shillnger on OZ that dude alright if so rack itt
Yeah I remember him back in da day play Dr Skoda on Law and order he was one scary dude
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