In assuming the leadership of Fox News last month, Rupert Murdoch pledged a fresh start at a network reeling from accusations that its longtime chairman, Roger Ailes, had overseen a culture of harassment and intimidation.
But on Friday, Mr. Murdoch made clear that — for now at least — Fox’s new era will be led by its old guard.
Two
veteran executives with deep ties to Mr. Ailes were named co-presidents
of Fox News, the network announced, a nod toward corporate stability
that was also taken as a sign that Mr. Murdoch was not yet prepared to
fully overhaul management at one of his most profitable franchises.
Bill
Shine, an affable Ailes loyalist who is well liked by some of the
network’s longest-serving anchors, like Sean Hannity, will oversee
programming at Fox News and Fox Business Network. Jack Abernethy, a
trusted Murdoch hand who runs Fox’s television station group, was placed
in charge of business operations, including finance and advertising
sales.
The
appointments are Mr. Murdoch’s first major personnel moves at the
network since the ouster of Mr. Ailes, whose 20-year tenure was upturned
by sexual harassment allegations by a former anchor, Gretchen Carlson.
And it suggested that Mr. Murdoch and his sons, James and Lachlan, are
now focused on calming an unsettled newsroom, even as more women come
forward with troubling stories about the network’s culture under Mr.
Ailes.
“Anybody
who expected seismic changes was wrong,” said Andrew Heyward, a former
president of CBS News. “This sends a strong signal to a jittery, shaken
staff that Fox News plans to stay the course.”
Mr.
Murdoch, 85, who named himself executive chairman of Fox News on
Friday, is expected to take a hands-on role there at least through the
presidential election in November. Since becoming acting chief executive
in July, Mr. Murdoch has been a constant presence in the Manhattan
newsroom, piping up at news meetings and greeting employees in the hall.
He recently moved into Mr. Ailes’s corner office on the second floor.
Still,
the fallout from the scandal is not over: An investigation by the law
firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison into other allegations
against Mr. Ailes is continuing. The inquiry has expanded into whether other executives knew of any improper behavior and failed to act on it.
On
Friday, Fox also announced that its longtime chief financial officer,
Mark Kranz, would retire. His departure was linked to his oversight of
the network’s finances during a period when financial settlements were
made with women who had complained of harassment, according to two
people who requested anonymity to describe internal matters.
Fox
News is a significant source of profit for its parent company, 21st
Century Fox, and the Murdochs would prefer smooth operations at the
cable channel during a tumultuous election season that has resulted in
record ratings. The elder Mr. Murdoch has said he is committed to
maintaining Fox’s “distinctive, powerful” voice, curbing the predictions
of those who thought that the right-leaning views of Fox’s opinion
anchors might soften in the absence of Mr. Ailes.
Mr.
Shine, 53, has been with Fox since shortly after the channel debuted in
1996. He is a favored figure among some veteran anchors, including Mr.
Hannity, who first recommended him to Mr. Ailes for a job. A Long Island
native, Mr. Shine cut his teeth at the network producing Mr. Hannity’s
program and working closely with personalities like Bill O’Reilly.
His
appointment was widely viewed as a sign of stability at a chaotic time,
particularly with newsroom gossip focused on whether top-tier anchors
could leave in the wake of Mr. Ailes’s departure.
Since
Ms. Carlson went public with her allegations on July 6, a schism has
developed within Fox News between Fox News loyalists — some of whom owe
their careers to Mr. Ailes — upset at his ouster and others who either
did not come forward or were dismayed by those who were defending Mr.
Ailes before the investigation was complete.
“I
could not be happier with the new management team at Fox News Channel,”
the anchor Greta Van Susteren, who also worked closely with Mr. Shine, wrote on Twitter on Friday. “Each is well liked and well respected; Thank you Rupert!”
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