CAN FOX SURVIVE WITHOUT AILES?
Roger Ailes was recently the subject of a lawsuit by former Fox anchor Gretchen Carlson and could be on his way out of the media network. However, what would the repercussions of Ailes’ exit be? He brought $2.3 billion in sales to Fox last year, contributing about 8% of the media network’s sales. Even more than sales, Fox has become “insanely profitable”. Pivotal Research analyst Brian Wieser said that Fox’s actual operating profit is four times its projected operating profit of $1.6 billion. Ailes’ exit would not completely derail the network, but it would put a massive dent in it, giving investors a reason to be worried. Furthermore, concerns over the exit of high profile anchors on Fox, such as Bill O’Reilly and Megyn Kelly, have grown stronger, perpetuating uncertainty over Fox’s future.