The Murdochs have decided Bill O’Reilly’s 21-year run at Fox News will come to an end. According to sources briefed on the discussions, network executives are preparing to announce O’Reilly’s departure before he returns from an Italian vacation on April 24. Now the big questions are how the exit will look and who will replace him.
Wednesday morning, according to sources, executives are holding emergency meetings to discuss how they can sever the relationship with the country’s highest-rated cable-news host without causing collateral damage to the network. The board of Fox News’ parent company, 21st Century Fox, is scheduled to meet on Thursday to discuss the matter.
Sources briefed on the discussions say O’Reilly’s exit negotiations are moving quickly. Right now, a key issue on the table is whether he would be allowed to say good-bye to his audience, perhaps the most loyal in all of cable (O’Reilly’s ratings have ticked up during the sexual-harassment allegations). Fox executives are leaning against allowing him to have a sign-off, sources say. The other main issue on the table is money. O’Reilly recently signed a new multiyear contract worth more than $20 million per year. When Roger Ailes left Fox News last summer, the Murdochs paid out $40 million, the remainder of his contract.
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According to sources, Fox News wants the transition to be seamless. Executives are currently debating possible replacement hosts. Names that have been discussed include Eric Bolling, Dana Perino, and Tucker Carlson, who would move from his successful 9 p.m. slot and create a need for a new host at that time. One source said Sean Hannity is happy at 10 p.m. and would not want to move.
The Murdochs’ decision to dump O’Reilly shocked many Fox News staffers I’ve spoken to in recent days. Late last week, the feeling inside the company was that Rupert Murdoch would prevail over his son James, who lobbied to jettison the embattled host. It’s still unclear exactly how the tide turned. According to one source, Lachlan Murdoch’s wife helped convince her husband that O’Reilly needed to go, which moved Lachlan into James’s corner. The source added that senior executives at other divisions within the Murdoch empire have complained that if O’Reilly’s allegations had happened to anyone else at their companies, that person would be gone already.
Spokespersons for 21st Century Fox and Fox News did not respond to requests for comment, nor did O’Reilly’s agent, Carole Cooper.
Poster Comment:
Things appear to be so convoluted at Fox that one can't be absolutely certain of what exactly has happened. As the news filtered down it looked like Bill wanted to get his hands on Megyn, but then many perhaps have.
I consider Tucker Carlson to be the absolute best host on Fox at present.
If Billy has a problem being around attractive gals, perhaps they can use him on the highly obnoxious 'The View'.
#1: Willie Green To: HomerBohn (#0)
Willie Green posted on 2017-04-19 12:15:05 Reply Private Reply
#2: Fred Mertz To: Willie Green (#1)
Fred Mertz posted on 2017-04-19 12:26:56 Reply Private Reply
#3: Tooconservative To: HomerBohn (#0)
James Murdoch, Fox 21 CEO, wants him out. He was the one who shoved Ailes out.
Lachlan sided with his dad, Rupert, leaning toward trying to keep Ailes back then and O'Reilly now.
O'Reilly is much harder to replace than Ailes.
In the last few days, apparently Lachlan is moving toward James' position but their problem is who do they replace O'Reilly with. He has the highest-rated show on cable and is the lead-in to deliver his audience to Tucker Carlson. So a bad Factor performance hurts Carlson's show too.
There is no obvious replacement for O'Reilly. Megyn Kelly is gone, someone they had seemed to be keeping in the wings. And the recent elevation of Watters to his own show may help but he can't hold down O'Reilly's audience.
I've wondered if they might pull off something like moving Carlson up to O'Reilly's 8pm slot, moving Hannity up to Tucker's 9pm slot and putting Watters in at 10pm in Hannity's old slot. But that would leave FNC without a woman in prime time.
Fox has a problem in not having women capable enough to host a primetime show.
Tooconservative posted on 2017-04-19 13:29:42 Reply Private Reply
#4: Vicomte13 To: Tooconservative (#3)
But O'Reilly's audience is massive, loyal to him, and he brings in a lot more money over time than they'll have to pay out in lawsuits. So, you keep O'Reilly and simply weather the storm.
And if the attitude is "Well, ANYBODY ELSE would be out." Maybe, but there is NOBODY ELSE like Bill O'Reilly. HE brings in the ratings, the money, the viewers. Other people are expendable, but he isn't.
Sacrificing Bill O'Reilly due to laddish behavior sends a message - that the firm is more interested in...well...what? Appeasing an angry minority than in making money.
Stupid.
Vicomte13 posted on 2017-04-19 14:03:19 Reply Private Reply
#5: Tooconservative To: Vicomte13 (#4)
As Lachlan and Rupert wanted to do. They wanted to do the same with Ailes until James got serious about dumping him.
But O'Reilly is still the most popular show on cable (despite a median age over 70yo) and he tees up his audience for Tucker's show which adds in a lot of younger viewers from the most profitable younger audience demographic.
They don't have any good choice here that I can see.
Tooconservative posted on 2017-04-19 14:26:29 Reply Private Reply
#6: Willie Green To: Fred Mertz (#2)
Willie Green posted on 2017-04-19 14:56:09 Reply Private Reply
#7: Willie Green To: Tooconservative (#3)
Fox has made it official: O'Reily Gets The Axe
Willie Green posted on 2017-04-19 15:02:08 Reply Private Reply
#8: Tooconservative To: Willie Green, Vicomte13 (#7)
At least we won't have to worry that The Shep will re-appear in primetime.
Tooconservative posted on 2017-04-19 15:33:54 Reply Private Reply
#9: Vicomte13 To: Tooconservative (#5)
They do. IGNORE the criticism and sail on.
Instead, they shot a hole in their own boat.
Vicomte13 posted on 2017-04-19 16:10:33 Reply Private Reply
#10: Tooconservative To: Vicomte13, redleghunter (#9)
I was kinda hoping O'Reilly would show up next week and claim that he got absolved of all his falafel sins by Pope Frank.
Alas.
Tooconservative posted on 2017-04-19 16:22:46 Reply Private Reply
#11: goldilucky To: Willie Green (#7)
If O'Reilly gets the axe so does FNC and Murdoch. I smell a lawsuit.
goldilucky posted on 2017-04-19 17:51:24 Reply Private Reply
#12: Vicomte13 To: goldilucky (#11)
Nah. They already had the settlement negotiations. Fox gave O'Reilly $25 million to go.
Vicomte13 posted on 2017-04-20 16:31:56 Reply Private Reply