O’Reilly’s departure creates new challenges for Fox
NEW YORK — With its biggest star departing in another blowup over sexual harassment, Fox News faces some big challenges. It now has to show that it can hang on to its loyal army of conservative viewers, improve its working culture, and still continue to make big bucks for its corporate parent.
The company said Wednesday that it had parted ways with longtime host Bill O’Reilly after a “thorough and careful review of allegations against him.” Dozens of advertisers ditched “The O’Reilly Factor” after a New York Times report detailed $13 million in payouts to five women over his alleged abusive behaviour; more allegations subsequently emerged. (O’Reilly denied the accusations.)
O’Reilly’s departure is the second big blow for conservatives’ favourite news network in nine months. Fox’s longtime CEO Roger Ailes resigned abruptly amid similar sexual harassment charges last July. Its leading female star, Megyn Kelly, also decamped for NBC in January.
The network’s parent company, entertainment giant 21st Century Fox, insisted that Fox News will weather the current storm, noting in a statement the “strength of its talent bench” and expressing “full confidence that the network will continue to be a powerhouse in cable news.”