Murdoch On Fox: "We're Not Changing Direction"

Rupert Murdoch

Rupert Murdoch’s comments to The Wall Street Journal are the strongest signal yet that his company does not intend to make significant programming changes at Fox News Channel despite the recent departure of the network’s architect Roger Ailes, reports Variety.

Ailes, the former chairman and CEO of Fox News, left the company in July after multiple women made allegations that he harassed them sexually. Ailes denied the charges, but the parent company ousted him after an internal probe drew accusations from female Fox News employees.

“We’re not changing direction,” Murdoch said in the interview. Doing so, he added, “would be business suicide.” The Fox News unit accounts for approximately 20% of the parent company’s operating income.

Fox News does have one looming challenge on its schedule: What to do with its 7 p.m. hour, which veteran anchor Brit Hume is filling temporarily until Election Day. Hume returned to a regular slot at the network in September after Greta Van Susteren opted to leave after trying to negotiate a new contract with Fox News spurred by the presence of a clause in her pact that allowed her to leave if Ailes were to depart.