Ailes 'Fuming' at Fox News Channel

Newsmax.com ^

[doesnt suffer fools gladly]

Ailes 'Fuming' at Fox News Channel

Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes is reportedly "on the warpath” about his network’s recent ratings slide – and has given notice to staffers that he’s willing to clean house, according to a report in Broadcasting & Cable.

The cable news channel’s overall prime-time ratings are off 8 percent in the second quarter of this year, and down 22 percent in viewers ages 25 to 54. The first quarter was also disappointing.

Rival CNN is also down, but only 2 percent overall in the second quarter and 18 percent in the 25-54 age group.

Ailes is said to be "fuming” over what he views as complacency among staffers, according to B&C.

He feels production values are slipping and bookers aren’t aggressive enough, relying too heavily on the same faces.

A full-page "Now Hiring” ad that ran recently in a trade magazine asked, "Can you make the cut?”

Broadcasting & Cable reports that a Fox staffer said the question was not addressed to outside applicants. "That was aimed inside.”

An Ailes spokesman declared: "Anyone who displays launch-type intensity will continue to have a job at Fox News. Those who don’t will not. And that includes talent.”

[NCLaw441]

I don't like Gabler either, but he is good for side-by-side comparison with others on that panel. I don't mind seeing the liberal side of things portrayed as well as they can be portrayed, as long as there is a strong conservative voice present for the smack down. The best example of this is Juan Williams' pathetic take, followed by Brit Humes' subsequent emasculation of him. It is always the highlight of the show. I am convinced that this is the reason why Hannity and Colmes does so well. Colmes gets time to state his point of view, which, in the light of analysis, always, or nearly so, seems to wither in the wake of conservative critique.

[KeyLargo]

FOX News has been on auto-pilot and just coasting along with the same blah, blah, blah for at least a year.

My opinion is that most of the FOX News show people are not conservative, but have to apppear to be just so long as their paychecks keep coming.

[mewzilla]

I can think of lots of stories the net ain't covering, Rog.

It isn't about the talking heads. It's about the lack of reporting.

[Beckwith]

It's Julian Phillips fault.

I can't watch Fox whenever that speech-impedimented, arrogant jerk is pontificating.

The most affected person on Fox.

[stuartcr]

That's why I really like network news, it's only on 3 or 4 times a day. I watch the cable news, Fox, in the morning, 'cause I like the people. As for the news content...everyone has an agenda, you just pick the channel that agrees with yours the most, or if you're just brainwashed.

[babaloo]

As of today, Julian is off F&F Weekend. Kelly Wright is in his chair. Thank heavens!

[Laverne]

I like Gretta's show, she is a completely different person than she was on CNN. She stays focused on the crime stuff and stays away from the politics of it all (she is a big time lib). I can't stand Julian Phillips either, and Kirin is a big time lib. Greg Kelly, although funny during his Elvis impression, is way too liberal for me, and I typically switch when he comes on the air. But one person I really don't like is Kasich, he has no spine and is not a very good host. I say give Kilmead a prime time show and lets see more of Gibson.

[Tiny]

Think Ailes may have been reading this thread? Finally a change at Fox that makes sense.

[visualops]

Well, turn on the TV lol...he's gone (replaced by Kelly Wright).

[babaloo]

I am sure someone a FNC was. Remember though, the weekend threads for a long time have been full of anti-Julian comments and folks were emailing Ailes about him. I as an avid FNC fan didn't watch as much as I used too. He was the one regular who really bothered me.

[fedupjohn]

Stop reading verbatim "The Associated Press News Releases". God they don't even preview them, it's disgusting.

[Ben Chad]

<< FNC is boring. Rather watch the paint dry channel. >>

Whoever said they were thinking about filling their TV with dirt: Thanks a lot. I can't get it out of my head.

[MadelineZapeezda]

Get rid of WEASLEY CLARK!!!!!!

[somemoreequalthanothers]

Thank God for that. Too nice here today for TV, though.
Sunny, nice temps, low humidity. Heading outdoors after my morning FreepFix.

[mjolnir]

Interesting suggestions-- but as I'm sure you know, Rush has said he's through with tv. I do like Kilmeade, and I think Kiran, while beautiful, is too far to the left to make a good replacement for him. But I absolutely agree with you about Brit Hume's show (the best news show on tv) and Lauren Green. She's a classic beauty much as her music is

, she's personable, intelligent and experienced. I don't know how far right her politics go, but I do know she rejects moonbatism, and I could imagine her doing a show where she does straight news and analysis, maybe in the mold of Brit's Special Report and neil Cavuto but with a more narrow emphasis, like they could go to each continent and review the news and how it affects the US with a roundtable including people like Claudia Rosset and Mary Anastasia O'Grady.

Or, given her musical background and accomplishment http://www.laurengreencd.com/index.html she could do a show on news in art, music or entertainment or that included her interests in "high art" with Fox News contributers like Nat Hentoff and someone like Mark Steyn or James Bowman, plus someone or someones who are knowlegable about popular music but not a Rolling Stone/mtv leftwing jackass. I've always thought a show like that could do well as doing as it had the right format, wasn't done by snobs, and had people with different points of view on it.

What I hope FOX doesn't do is go more into the sensationalizing of crime, distorting the fact that crime is actually down and has been falling for some time now as John Stossel (who would be the best addition to FOX from ABC since Brit himself) has noted.

[armymarinemom]

Every time I see this face I change the channel

[gathersnomoss]

Yo, Roger.....Also stop following the MSM by catering almost totally to females. The morning programming has become unbearable

[gathersnomoss]

Bingo.

[mjolnir]

Yo, Roger.....Also stop following the MSM by catering almost totally to females. The morning programming has become unbearable

I'm listening right now to JBL-- John Bradshaw Layfield-- who just demolished Ben Stein's populist "White Guilt" (see Shelby Steele) calls for a draft in a very reasoned yet aggressive manner on "The Cost of Freedom".

He would be a great, energetic morning host if he could manage it with the insanely busy WWE schedule he keeps.

[OldFriend]

LOL...wasn't me......but it might as well have been. But then how would I watch World Cup soccer!