Fox News co-president Bill Shine resigned on Monday, less than two weeks after the departure of anchor Bill O’Reilly amid allegations of sexual harassment being covered up by the division of 21st Century Fox.
Michael Grynbaum and Emily Steel of the New York Times had the news:
The exit of Bill Shine — a co-president at the network and a close ally of Roger E. Ailes, its former chairman — came nearly 10 months after Mr. Ailes was removed in the wake of numerous harassment allegations. Mr. Shine’s departure portends big changes to come as the Murdochs move to retool a lucrative channel that has threatened to become an obstacle to their global business ambitions.
Mr. Shine’s exit did little to quell a newsroom in tumult, however. Even as Mr. Shine was removed, another veteran executive with deep ties to Mr. Ailes, Suzanne Scott, was promoted. Ms. Scott, who is now the president of programming, has been cited in lawsuits against the network as a figure who enabled and concealed Mr. Ailes’s behavior.
Mr. Shine had been viewed by some employees as a symbol of Mr. Ailes’s tainted tenure amid a public pledge by the network’s corporate parent, 21st Century Fox, to reform its office culture. He was accused in several lawsuits of covering up Mr. Ailes’s behavior and dismissing concerns from women who complained about it. Mr. Shine and Ms. Scott deny any wrongdoing.
Seen by the Murdochs as a steward rather than a visionary — Rupert Murdoch, in a meeting with executives, once referred to him as a “fine company man” — Mr. Shine was not considered a long-term leader for the network, despite his close relationships with marquee personalities like Sean Hannity.
Dylan Byers and Brian Stelter of CNNMoney.com reported that Hannity will remain:
After Ailes biographer Gabriel Sherman reported that Shine was “on edge about his job,” Hannity wrote, “I pray this is NOT true because if it is, that’s the total end of the FNC as we know it. Done.”
Hannity also posted a hashtag: #IStandWithShine.
On Monday evening, Hannity said he was not, contrary to some rumors, negotiating for an exit from Fox News. He also hinted that he may address Shine’s departure on his show. “If I have anything to say about Fox News I will say it tonight at 10 [p.m.] EST,” he tweeted.
The other co-president of Fox News, Jack Abernethy, will remain in that position, Murdoch said Monday afternoon.
Suzanne Scott, currently an executive vice president, will take on some of Shine’s duties with a new title, president of programming, overseeing opinion shows like “The Five” and “Hannity.”
Jay Wallace will do the same thing on the news side as president of news.
Mike Snider of USA Today reported that Shine had been mentioned in some lawsuits against Fox News:
Shine had been mentioned in several lawsuits filed against Fox News for allowing a workplace culture in which sexual harassment and racial discrimination developed.
The move may help quiet criticism that Fox was doing too little to clean up its ranks after Ailes’ departure, despite a pledge from Lachlan and James Murdoch, Rupert Murdoch’s sons who run 21st Century Fox, to “maintaining a work environment based on trust and respect.” But it also risks alienating some of its star performers.
Fox News host Sean Hannity took to Twitter last week in support of Shine after reports began to hint of his potential ouster. “Somebody HIGH UP AND INSIDE FNC is trying to get an innocent person fired,” he tweeted.
Fox is promoting two executives as Fox News presidents. Scott, who joined Fox News in 1996 and had been executive vice president, is now the president of programming for Fox News Channel. Jay Wallace, who also joined in 1996, and was formerly the executive vice president of news, is now president of news for Fox News Channel. They join Abernethy, who remains co-president of Fox News and CEO of Fox Television Stations.
