Public sphere

[Newsa] Roger Ailes' Unparalleled Impact On The Public Sphere

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• published: 22 Jul 2016
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Fox News CEO Roger Ailes in his New York City studios in 2006. Ailes served as CEO from Fox News' first day in 1996. Jim Cooper/AP hide caption toggle caption Jim Cooper/AP The news that sexual harassment allegations have cost Roger Ailes his job threatens to obscure Ailes' singular career and his almost unrivaled influence in the public sphere. But no contemporary figure has done more to shape the intersection of American media and politics than Ailes, who, until Thursday, had been the Fox News chief since its very first day on the air in 1996. In his long career, Ailes advised a succession of Republican presidents on how to gain power and maintain it — both on their payrolls and off the books. He showed how to bring flair and flash to financial coverage as president of CNBC. Then Ailes gave a turbo boost to the Republican movement in the mid-1990s, just in time to fuel opposition to the Clinton White House, with the creation of Fox News. It was a partnership and mind meld between Ailes and his new patron, media magnate Rupert Murdoch. Fred Barnes, executive editor of The Weekly Standard and a familiar figure on Fox News, told me the new network gave conservatives hope. "They were so used to thinking that the media was completely barren as far as they were concerned," Barnes said. "There was nothing there for them. It was all for liberals. And then Fox comes along — and they really glommed on it." Fox served as the home of debate within the conservative movement. At its default setting, Fox blended pugilistic, right-of-center populism, resentment of changing demographics and sexual mores, and a strong nationalistic tone. Fox News' success also drove television news as a whole more toward conflict, given its emphasis on assertion over reporting. From Entertainment To Politics Fred Barnes spoke to me outside the arena for the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. It was perhaps fitting that the end game for Ailes played out as Republicans gathered there. Ailes, an Ohio native, enjoyed his first big professional success in Cleveland, as a producer of a local variety and talk program called The Mike Douglas Show . In time, the show went national. So did Ailes. After Richard Nixon appeared on the show during the 1968 campaign, Ailes gave the candidate some advice: use televised appearances to go around the press and interact with voters. More to the point, be seen interacting with voters. Roger Ailes was a political consultant in 1971, advising many leading Republicans, including Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Karl Rove. Jerry Mosey/AP hide caption toggle caption Jerry Mosey/AP In one such encounter, former college football coach Bud Wilkinson, a Nixon fan and friend, served as moderator. "No one has any idea what questions will be asked," Wilkinson told viewers. "Mr. Nixon cannot possibly know. His answers must be immediate and direct — and our panel is representative." In reality, the panelists were pretty carefully screened. Ailes ended up advising the Nixon White House. He also rose to be executive producer of The Mike Douglas Show , which lasted for thousands of episodes. Ailes dabbled in Broadway, producing two shows, including The Hot l Baltimore . He advised President Reagan's re-election campaign in 1984, helping Reagan revive his fortunes following a disastrous first debate against Walter Mondale. Reagan dominated the second debate with remarks that became political legend. Pressed on his age, for example, Reagan said, "I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent's youth and inexperience." Reagan never looked back. Ailes kept toggling between producing television specials and serving as a political consultant, sometimes doing both at once. In 1988, Ailes played a key role in George H.W. Bush's White House bid. A climactic moment arrived early that year. Ailes warned Bush that CBS...