Ailes Cracks Whip as Fox News Slips By Staff Broadcasting & Cable
6/26/2006 8:59:00 AM http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6346894.html Slackers at Fox News Channel, youre on notice! Your boss is not pleased. Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes is on the warpath following his networks recent ratings slump, and he wont hesitate to clean house to turn things around. So far during the second quarter, the No. 1 cable news channels primetime schedule has dropped 22% in its core 25-54 demo and 8% in total viewers. The first quarter was even worse. Chief rival CNN has also dipped in recent weeks, but less dramatically, off 18% in the demo and 2% in total viewers. Insiders say that, even though Fox News remains No. 1, Ailes is fuming over the complacency he senses among staffers. Production values are slipping, and bookers arent competitive enough, relying too heavily on the same pool of faces and settling for authors or actors after theyve already been on CNN or gasp MSNBC. A full-page "Now Hiring" ad that ran recently in a trade magazine asked, "Can you make the cut?" Says one Fox staffer, that question was not addressed to outside applicants: "That was aimed inside." Commenting through a spokesman last week, Ailes left no doubt: "Anyone who displays launch-type intensity will continue to have a job at Fox News. Those who dont will not. And that includes talent." ================================================= George Antunes Voice (713) 743-3923 Associate Professor Fax (713) 743-3927 Political Science Internet: antunes at uh dot edu University of Houston Houston, TX 77204-3011 Reply with a "Thank you" if you liked this post. _____________________________ MEDIANEWS mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
