Man, I sure hope so….
Here are a couple of keepers, (Which had me laughing out loud) and reading them to Paul, who is working from home today.
WSJ: The Fox New Channel reported a 41% rise in operating income in the fourth quarter from higher affiliate fees and advertising growth. How did you accomplish that at a time when viewership is off and ratings are waning for cable news?
Mr. Ailes: Well, the ratings aren’t off much….You’d be surprised. I get hundreds of emails a day from American people saying, “God, you’re the only thing we watch.” So, we feel a real responsibility to get the story straight and balance the story in some ways….
When I see something [in the news] particularly horrible about America that I think is a little out of proportion to what is actually going on, I call up the desk and say, “Do you have any pictures of people lined up at the border trying to get out?” They say, “What do you mean?” I say, “I just watched that, and hell, we’ve got to get out of here, America’s a terrible place. We need to get out fast. There must be guys stacked up at the airport trying to get out of here.” No. It turns out everybody’s trying to get in, and nobody’s trying to get out. We’ve got to keep that perspective in mind when you cover the news. It doesn’t mean you don’t cover the bad news about America. You do. It means you don’t get up in the morning hating your country.
WSJ: How does that philosophy translate to business news?
Mr. Ailes: Well, capitalism works….And so you have to keep it in perspective. When you find nine companies where the CEO should be in jail, you should report it and make sure the guy goes to jail. But you have to recognize that there are . . .a lower percentage
…WSJ: Are you a hands-on manager?
Mr. Ailes: I have a working knowledge of all the areas. I have probably 14 vice presidents who report to me. I have to know enough about each of their areas to know how to ask the proper questions….I think what I bring to it is life experience. People say, “How can you? You didn’t go to Columbia Journalism School, how can you run a news organization?” I say, “I have two qualifications: One, I didn’t go to Columbia Journalism School, so there’s a chance I’ll be fair, and, two, I never want to go to a party in this town, so there’s nobody’s a- I have to kiss.”
I think my management style is direct….I want very fast decisions. I think the worst decision is usually no decision.
WSJ: You’ve said there’s a long slog ahead of you, maybe up to four years. Is that something you look forward to or dread?
Mr. Ailes: …There are no options. The problem with most people who don’t succeed is that they see options….It’s the way I was brought up. I dug ditches, I put in sewer pipe, I put in guardrail. When I was 18, my dad looked at me and said,”Where are you going?… You can’t live here….You going to go in the service? You want me to put your name in up at the shop?…Try to go to college?”…So, I went to a cheap state school so I could work three jobs. When you don’t see options, you don’t give up easy. The real problem with our society is we’ve taken the word responsibility and turned it into entitlement, and we sit around thinking that’s an option.
WSJ: How’s your relationship with Mr. Murdoch?
Mr. Ailes: He gave me this office, right next door, so it must be good. If he throws me out, I guess it’s not so good.
Ha ha heee snort, heee, ha ha heh….
Gotta Love Mr. Ailes. I’ll give Fox Business channel one year before it blasts CNBC out of the water. Or, Maybe six months….
Jenny Hatch
