INSIDE INFO: Former CEO of FOX News Roger Ailes DEAD
FOX News reports that Roger Ailes has died.
No information about his death is being reported at the time.
The Hill reported:
The network shared a statement from Ailes’s wife Elizabeth Ailes announcing the death. The statement was first obtained by conservative website The Drudge Report.
“I am profoundly sad and heartbroken to report that my husband, Roger Ailes, passed away this morning,” the statement said.
“During a career that stretched over more than five decades, his work in entertainment, in politics, and in news affected the lives of many millions. And so even as we mourn his death, we celebrate his life.”
Ailes resigned as the head of Fox News in July 2016 after 20 years leading the network, amid sexual harassment allegations.
When I met with Roger Ailes to get my deal with FOX News, I was awed.
In what I thought would be a meeting of around 10-15 minutes, ended up lasting over an hour. And no, I wasn’t molested.
Ailes was affable, and we laughed about our numerous death threats.
People have no idea of his background in politics,
In 1984, Ailes worked on the campaign to re-elect Ronald Reagan. Roger told me how he started on this campaign and was told to keep his mouth shut. However, he got the opportunity to ride with Ronald Reagan in an elevator during a critical point in his campaign, and Ailes was asked a question by Reagan. Instead of keeping his mouth shut, Ailes answered candidly.
He angered his bosses, but that launched his political career in earnest.
In 1987 and 1988, Ailes was credited (along with Lee Atwater) with guiding George H. W. Bush to victory in the Republican primaries and the later come-from-behind victory over Michael Dukakis. Ailes scripted and (with Sig Rogich) produced the “Revolving Door” ad.
Bush was in deep trouble by the time he brought in Ailes.
Ailes informed the campaign they would need a drastic makeover, and they gave him lots of leeway. He crafted all of Bush’s broadcast spots in the primary and general-election campaigns. Ailes’s TV ads for the 1988 Bush campaign were extensively examined in the award-winning documentary film Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story.
Ailes is credited with the “Orchestra Pit Theory” regarding sensationalist political coverage in the news media, which originated with his quip:
“If you have two guys on a stage and one guy says, ‘I have a solution to the Middle East problem,’ and the other guy falls in the orchestra pit, who do you think is going to be on the evening news?”
Ailes was very complimentary of my work, and told me I was one of the most talented people he had met.
Despite the allegations against him, I respected the man.
