Roger Eugene Ailes was a television executive from America. He served as the role of Chairman and CEO of Fox news and the Fox Television stations group, which he founded. In the past, Roger Ailes performed the role of a media advisor for Republican President George H.W Bush and even for Rudy Giuliani’s first mayoral campaign. He quit his position from Fox News, over allegations of sexual harassment.
Early life and background
Ailes was born on May 15th in the year 1940, in a small factory town of Warren, Ohio. He is the son of Donna Marie and Robert Eugene Ailes, who was a factory maintenance foreman. Ailes did his schooling from Warren City School and in the later years, he was introduced to Warren High School’s Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame. Alies attended Ohio University in Athens and completed his graduation with a major in radio and television. At this university, he was a student station manager for WOUB for two years.
Career
He started his career in the world of television in Cleveland and Philadelphia, where he worked as a property assistant in the beginning. He then worked as a producer and later as an Executive producer for KYM-TV, in a local talk variety show, ‘The Mike Douglas show’. Under his league, the show was nominated for the Daytime Emmy award. In television, Ailes framed up a very powerful and persuading campaign for Richard Nixon the politician. This particular successful campaign designing was Ailes’ first step at the political platform.
He got credits for guiding George H. W Bush in 1987 and 1988, to win in the Republican primaries. Ailes had also scripted and produced the Revolving Door commercial and had been the creator of all the broadcast content of Bush in the primary and general election campaign.
On October 7, 1996 Ailes became the new founding Chief Executive Officer of Fox News. He was continuing his role as a CEO, till the departure of Lachlan Murdoch and then he was appointed as the chairman of Fox television stations Group on 15th August 2005. The very first act which he executed after his appointment was cancelling the show ‘A current Affair’ and replacing it with a show named as ‘Geraldo at Large’ by Geraldo Rivera.
Roger Ailes has been responsible for making Fox News, a cult name in the news and media world. Fox News grew strength to strength under his leadership, it surpassed CNN as the most watched news channel in 2002. Today, it is the most viewed TV and cable network with a reach up to 80% of American households with a value of $15 billion dollars.
Roger Ailes Book – You are the Message
In 1988, Ailes wrote a book with his long time supporter Jon Kraushar. ‘You are the Message’: (Secrets of the Master Communicators). This is the book in which the authors have discussed some of the philosophies and strategies for successful performance in the eyes of the general public.
He also wrote another autobiography called ‘Ailes – Off Camera!” which gives a riveting insight of the man who changed the news television landscape.
Roger Ailes – Wife
Ailes got married to a former television executive Elizabeth Tilson on 14th February, 1998 and have a son. Elizabeth is the publisher of ‘The Putnam County News and Recorder’ and is also a homemaker.
Gretchen Carlson -Lawsuit Controversy
On July, 2016, Roger Ailes was reported with various allegations of sexual misconduct. News anchor Gretchen Carlson filed a sexual harassment case against him based on the issue that Ailes propositioned her and turned a blind eye to the discrimination against her.
Roger Ailes – Net Worth and Salary
Ailes’ has a net worth of $75 million. The contract drawn in 2012 showed Roger Ailes earning a base salary of $7 million with overall annual income of $21 million and additional perks. Taking note of Ailes’s stupendous growth story for Fox, the four-year contract with 21st Century Fox has been extended. Now Roger Ailes’ salary is $35 million annually.
House
Roger Ailes stayed mostly in Cresskill, New Jersey.
Death
He was found death in his Palm Beach Home on May 18, 2017; the reason attributed was subdural hematoma caused by hemophilia.