Rupert Murdoch Engineered Ailes-Obama Meeting

This is funny. From an interview between Howard Kurtz and Michael Wolff--who is doing a big book/bio of Rupert Murdoch and News Corp--Wolff tells Kurtz that Murdoch engineered the meeting deliberately to force his TV news division and Obama to come to some sort of a ceasefire. What's funny is why Murdoch doesn't exercise more control over his apparently rogue news division:

WOLFF: Rupert Murdoch is shy, fundamentally a man that is conflict-averse. That's number one. Number two, Roger Ailes -- remember, Murdoch is a newspaper guy. He's not a television news guy. Roger Ailes runs this place. Actually, Roger Ailes told me -- and there's some dispute; the Murdoch people said that's not exactly true -- but he told me that in his contract it says that Murdoch cannot interfere, that he has final say. He can be fired ultimately, but, otherwise, he has final say and that Murdoch can't talk to his people.

Why doesn't he tell Roger Ailes to stand down? Perhaps because, fundamentally, Murdoch is a businessman and running the USA's only television news source that doesn't condescend to, slander, and mock conservatives has been immensely profitable.

TVWeek - News

The broadcasting unit's drop in income outweighed a 31% surge in operating profit from cable network programming. Fox News Channel's advertising rates and affiliate fees rose after the network's prime-time ratings beat its nearest competitor by about 60% while the Big Ten Network's startup costs were reduced as more multichannel service operators agreed to carry the channel.

So much so that Murdoch re-signed Ailes to a huge five year contract.

Reuters

Financial terms of the agreement weren't immediately disclosed, but Ailes' current salary is $5 million a year, not including bonuses and other compensation that earned him $19 million in 2008 and $10.9 million in 2007, according to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission documents.

...To be sure, the News Corp-owned cable news channel has fared better than its competitors since this month's election, retaining more of its audience.

"What it really talks about is fair and balanced news, which I think will get high ratings," Ailes said. "We have finally convinced, after 10 years, even some skeptical members of the press that that's exactly what we do here."
...

Oh yes, I smell a huge rift between Murdoch and Ailes/Fox News over his treatment of Obama... not.

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