“The seriousness of the charge mandates that we investigate this.
Even though there is no evidence, the the seriousness of the charge is what matters.”-- Tom Foley (1929-2013) former Democrat Speaker Of The House
Posted on 04/19/2017 12:58:59 PM PDT by drewh
Caving to pressure from the public and advertisers, as well as reportedly frustrated employees, Fox News has fired host Bill O'Reilly following the revelation of multiple settlements made by him and the network of claims of sexual harassment.
"After a thorough and careful review of the allegations, the Company and Bill O'Reilly have agreed that Bill O'Reilly will not be returning to the Fox News Channel," says a statement from Rupert Murdoch, executive chairman of parent company 21st Century Fox, and his sons James and Lachlan, respectively the company’s CEO and co-executive chairman.
Fox News simultaneously announced that Tucker Carlson's program will be moved to the 8 p.m. hour from Monday to replace The O'Reilly Factor, the long-reigning ratings king of cable news.
It's a stunning turn of events for O'Reilly and for Fox, which has stood by its star through multiple controversies in the past. The end was precipitated by a New York Times article April 1 that revealed embarrassing details of previously unknown settlements of sexual harassment claims. O'Reilly and the network have together made at least five settlements totaling $13 million of allegations of sexual harassment or other inappropriate behavior.
O'Reilly has denied the allegations; his attorney Marc Kasowitz put out a statement Tuesday saying his client has been "subjected to a brutal campaign of character assassination" from far-left organizations and that he has "irrefutable" evidence to prove it.
O'Reilly, who went on vacation amid the controversy last week, was one the first talents brought to the Fox News Channel by Roger Ailes, its recently ousted programming mastermind, and became a cornerstone of the attitude-heavy conservative news juggernaut that Ailes built.
O'Reilly has had the network’s highest-rated program for 68 consecutive quarters, averaging 4 million viewers per episode during the first quarter of 2017. His prime-time show generated $446 million in advertising revenue between 2014 and 2016, according to Kantar Media. Last year, the show brought in an estimated $110.8 million in ad revenue, according to iSpot.tv. That compares to the $20.7 million in 2016 ad revenue brought in by MSNBC’s biggest star, Rachel Maddow, who is on an hour later. Fox News makes up about 10% of its parent company 21st Century Fox’s revenue and about 25% of its operating income.
"By ratings standards, Bill O'Reilly is one of the most accomplished TV personalities in the history of cable news," said the statement from the Murdochs. "We have full confidence that the network will continue to be a powerhouse in cable news."
Following the New York Times story, more than 60 advertisers pulled their ads from the show, leaving it almost commercial-free. Because the ads were relocated to other shows at Fox that don’t boast the large number of eyeballs that O’Reilly delivered, they will not be nearly as profitable for the network.
Several more women have come forward over the past few weeks with allegations against O’Reilly, leading to an investigation into O'Reilly's behavior by the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, which also was engaged by Fox to investigate claims of sexual harassment by Ailes. On Tuesday, a lawyer for a former clerical worker at the network claimed that O’Reilly had called her “hot chocolate” and made suggestive gestures at her. Former Fox News guest Wendy Walsh also alleged that after she rebuffed advances from O’Reilly at a hotel bar, her offer to become a contributor for the network was rescinded.
Demonstrators rallied against O'Reilly outside of the News Corp. and Fox News headquarters in Midtown Manhattan. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) [+] Organizations like UltraViolet and Colors of Change had put pressure on the network to part ways with O’Reilly. On Monday, 450 victims of sexual assault and domestic violence penned a letter to James Murdoch—who is believed to have been the most willing to cut ties with O’Reilly—asking him to “choose women’s safety and justice for survivors by getting rid of O’Reilly once and for all.” Protests erupted outside of Fox News headquarters in Midtown Manhattan on Tuesday, with a group of less than 100 pressuring the Murdoch family to dismiss O'Reilly.
While these are relatively small acts, any public condemnation may hold more power than before due to Fox News’ pledge last summer that it would show zero tolerance for “behavior that disrespects women” after the ouster of Ailes amid a series of allegations of sexual harassment. (Ailes, who has denied the allegations, stepped down last July with a $40 million exit package.) Public perception may also hurt other 20th Century Fox business proceedings, such as the $14 billion deal to buy the outstanding interest in satellite company Sky that is currently being reviewed by U.K. regulators.
Internally, female Fox employees were reportedly uneasy that O’Reilly had gone unpunished, and earlier this week it came out that former Fox News star Megyn Kelly decided to leave the network in part to get away from him. Additionally, executives at other 21st Century Fox companies reportedly complained that O'Reilly was getting special treatment and called for his removal.
O'Reilly's following seemed largely to be standing by him. According to a poll conducted late last week by Morning Consult, only 23% of regular O’Reilly viewers thought Fox should cancel the show, compared to 46% of all Americans. Prior to his vacation but after the allegations came out, ratings for the show actually climbed.
Fox said that The O'Reilly Factor will continue to be broadcast for the rest of the week, with Dana Perino and Greg Gutfeld standing in as hosts. Still unknown: Will O'Reilly be allowed to say goodbye to his devoted audience on air? And how much will be paid out of his $20 million-plus per year contract, which was renewed just weeks ago?
With Fox losing its biggest name and O’Reilly losing his home for more than two decades, both the network and the commentator face uncertain futures as the media industry and fans track their next moves.
See also: Can Fox News Remain Dominant Without O'Reilly? Bet On It
For the latest on the entertainment industry, follow me on Twitter @MadelinePBerg.
Should have moved Hannity to 9 and ‘the five’ to 10
OH THE ABSOLUTE HORROR!!!! Imagine someone calling you “hot chocolate”???? It’s a wonder if she was ever able to recover her sanity from that. sheeeesh.
“The seriousness of the charge mandates that we investigate this.
Even though there is no evidence, the the seriousness of the charge is what matters.”-- Tom Foley (1929-2013) former Democrat Speaker Of The House
Fox new was dominate. O’Reily just happened to get the prime time slot. Fox will do just fine, or better, without O’pinhead.
Well Bye!
Actually it sound like BOR got in trouble less for actual sexual promiscuity as for ATTEMPTED promiscuity. So kinda double-screwed himself with nothing to show for it. Unless you count the millions of dollars that is ;-) His books are good, he can do whatever he wants to and while those jobs are highly addictive I suspect he’s glad to be out in a way.
I think Fox should get Greta back and send Perino and that a-hole Beckel and the rest out to work for MSNBC or the local cable access channel, which would be a much better match for their skill sets. I don’t like the format or the personalities of “The Five” so the quicker it becomes “The None” the better.
The Murdocks are idiots if they aren’t aware that Jesse Watters is the best entre they’ve ever had to younger Americans and probably the best new talent around. If they want to create another John Stewart who deals in reality rather than fantasy but is just as cool in the eyes of millennials, they need to treat Jesse real nice.
An insider at FNC told me that BOR’s ratings went up due the the recent allegations but major advertisers were abandoning him.
My Pillow was stalwart.
Better yet:
Move Hannity to the 9:00 PM slot and move 'The Five' to MSNBC.
But keep Bolling and Guilfoyle at FOX.
I cannot understand such people.
If true, why would a person with so much to lose by acting inappropriately even allow the appearance of impropriety?
I get that there are false claims made all the time, but if these claims are true it reflects a person that is hell bent on self destruction.
He was arraigned on the charge of "Attempted Assault With A Dead Weapon".
News to me...
BOR was never a conservative anyway. Just an establishment windbag.
I dont know but that chick that has that Chilean sea bass smile is one fine lookin woman
Hire Larry Elder. A good looking black conservative. See what the Left does next. They’ll never like Larry. Hire Elder. Fox should do it. Now.
If right-friendly guests can't take hard questions and adequately defend their positions, do they really represent the right?
Charges of sexual impropriety against Bill have become almost as big a joke as charges of racism these days.
Everyone sees that the Gold Diggers are coming out of the woodwork now that they know FOX News pays millions to shut them up.
Booting the host (and originator) of the number one rated show on cable news and one of the best selling authors in America will knock FOX out of their leadership position.
But the Murdoch boys will be popular in the liberal New York party circuit and that's what really matters - isin't it?
If Bill is so hated and reviled by the general public why are his books consitently at the top of the best seller lists?
Check out his book sales on Amazon.
Here is a sample of the Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
Killing the Rising Sun:
Old School: Life in the Sane Lane
Killing Jesus
Tomorrow’s headline: “Golden Goose Killed By Fox!”
>> Tomorrow’s headline: “Golden Goose Killed By Fox!” <<
Nope. The advertisers did it all on their own.
O’Reilly today, Hannity tomorrow, the left won’t rest until Fox is off the air.
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