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Who Was Roger Ailes?
Roger Ailes was a prominent American media executive and political adviser, best known for shaping Fox News into a leading force in the television news industry. His career began as a producer for The Mike Douglas Show, but he made his mark in politics, working as a media consultant for Richard Nixon’s 1968 presidential campaign. Later, he was instrumental in the campaigns of Ronald Reagan in 1984 and George H.W. Bush in 1988. In 1996, Ailes was appointed chairman and CEO of Fox News Channel, where he propelled the network to prominence with a focus on opinionated, conservative-oriented coverage. After his ousting from Fox News in 2016 over sexual harassment allegations, Ailes passed away on May 18, 2017, due to complications from a subdural hematoma.
Early Years
Born on May 15, 1940, in Warren, Ohio, Ailes was the second of three children of Robert and Donna Ailes. Despite being diagnosed with hemophilia and suffering an accident at age 8 when he was struck by a car, Ailes led an active life. He participated in drama club at Warren G. Harding High School and worked in physical jobs, including digging ditches during summer vacations. Ailes attended Ohio University, where he majored in radio and television and became the student station manager of WOUB Radio. During his college years, he met Marjorie White, who later became his first wife in 1960.
TV Producer and Political Adviser
After graduating in 1962, Ailes began his career as a production assistant on The Mike Douglas Show, eventually becoming its executive producer. His political consulting career started in 1968 when he worked with Richard Nixon’s presidential campaign. Impressed by Ailes’s defense of television as a critical medium, Nixon recruited him to assist with his campaign. Ailes went on to establish his own consulting firm in 1969, advising politicians and businesses. He also made his mark in the entertainment industry, producing the Obie Award-winning play The Hot l Baltimore in the mid-1970s and briefly launching Television News Inc. in 1973.
Ailes continued to expand his influence in political media, notably working with Ronald Reagan in 1984 and George H.W. Bush in 1988. During Bush’s campaign, he was involved in the controversial “Willie Horton ad,” which attacked opponent Michael Dukakis on crime issues. Ailes returned to television in the early 1990s, running CNBC and launching America’s Talking, which would later evolve into MSNBC. Despite his success at NBC, including CNBC’s profitability, Ailes left the company in 1995 due to clashes with management.
Fox News Empire
In 1996, Ailes partnered with Rupert Murdoch to launch Fox News Channel, with Ailes as chairman and CEO. He quickly transformed Fox into a leading news network by attracting top talent, such as Neil Cavuto, Brit Hume, and Bill O’Reilly. Ailes positioned Fox News as a conservative alternative in a competitive media landscape, promoting a “fair and balanced” approach while infusing the network with right-leaning opinions. Fox News’s influence grew, particularly during the 2000 presidential election, where its early call of George W. Bush as the winner in Florida helped shape the media narrative.
By 2002, Fox News surpassed CNN as the most-watched cable news network, a position it has maintained ever since. Ailes’s consolidation of power within News Corp following Lachlan Murdoch’s resignation in 2005 also cemented his leadership, as he was promoted to Fox Television Chairman, solidifying his role as a key figure in media and conservative politics.
Other Endeavors and Personal Life
In 1988, Ailes became an author with the release of You Are the Message: Secrets of the Master Communicators, a work that blended self-help principles with a memoir of his experiences as a political advisor.
Following his divorce from Marjorie in 1977, Ailes remarried television producer Norma Ferrer in 1981. In 1998, he married a third time to CNBC program director Elizabeth Tilson, and the couple welcomed a son, Zachary, in 2000. Shortly thereafter, Ailes relocated his family to Garrison, New York, where he purchased a local newspaper, which he transformed into a conservative-leaning publication under his wife’s leadership. Ailes also maintained strong ties with his alma mater, Ohio University, where he provided scholarships for students in the Scripps College of Communication.
Departure from Fox News and Death
By 2016, Fox News had become a dominant force in cable news, attracting 2 million daily viewers—more than the combined audience of CNN and MSNBC. However, Ailes’ success was overshadowed by mounting scrutiny of his workplace behavior. In July of that year, former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson filed a sexual harassment lawsuit, alleging she had been dismissed for rejecting Ailes’ advances. Several other women came forward with similar accusations, leading Ailes to deny all wrongdoing. Despite his denials, he reached a settlement with Fox News and resigned on July 21, 2016.
After his departure, Ailes continued to consult with Rupert Murdoch and played a role in advising Donald Trump’s successful 2016 presidential campaign. On May 10, 2017, Ailes suffered a fall at his Palm Beach, Florida home, and passed away a week later on May 18 from a subdural hematoma, a condition complicated by his lifelong struggle with hemophilia.
In January 2018, the FBI released 114 pages of files concerning Ailes, dating back to 1969, when he was investigated for his work as a political advisor to President Nixon. The documents also noted his 1974 arrest for carrying an illegal handgun in New York City, as well as his 1981 interview with the FBI regarding the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan by John Hinckley Jr.