»» Columnists

Roger Ailes Is The Most Powerful Political Figure In America

by Colby Hall | 5:16 pm, September 17th, 2009

» 20 comments

ailes Earlier this week BusinessWeek reported that Roger Ailes earned almost $24 million last year in total compensation. The reason? Fox News’ complete and total dominance in the ratings (a story we’ve covered extensively). But while that’s certainly an impressive figure, it takes focus from the much larger and underreported story:

Roger Ailes is the most powerful political figure in America today.

In discussing the power and influence of Ailes, one has to start with the ratings – as we reported this Monday, FNC is consistently beating all other networks combined. Prime time has long been the province of Fox’s dominance, but now that Glenn Beck is getting O’Reilly like numbers at 5pm, it’s safe to say that they are just getting started.

But the power of Fox News goes beyond total eyeballs — their influence is actually shaping policy and taking down federal officials in an unprecedented manner. First, there is the Health Care debate – no outlet has had more influence than Fox, who went so far as to claim that the Obama Administration was attacking FNC.

Then there’s the resignation of Van Jones as “Special Advisor for Green Jobs at the Council on Environmental Quality,” almost entirely as a response to the investigations and allegations of Glenn Beck, who also lead thehe “9/12 Project.” This not only made a lot of news (which lead to a weekend ratings win), but it forced its competitors to cover the event in a way that didn’t also mention Fox News or the event planner Glenn Beck.

Most recently, of course, there is hidden camera video capturing ACORN employees behaving in ways that are not befitting of any organization – particularly one that receives so much federal funding. Nonetheless, the continued (some might say relentless) airing of that video tape effectively convinced the US Senate to vote overwhelmingly to discontinue millions of dollars of funding to ACORN, just within a week based of that hyped-up video.

Perhaps the best example of the influence of Fox News is this: on the day after Obama’s Health Care speech, all other networks and news outlets were talking about Joe Wilson’s outbursts. Fox News, however, was introducing the ACORN video. Which issue is a bigger story today and actually lead to legislation?

In a profile that appeared in New York Magazine in 1997, Ailes was described as “a newsman with a pronounced disdain for newsmen, and Fox News is being promoted as an anti-network, a news channel designed to appeal to people–from disaffected Gen-Xers to Limbaugh’s dittoheads–who don’t trust the Big Three news divisions.” This was written right about the time that he was launching the Fox News Channel, and this mission has proven to be far more successful than any Manhattan sophisticate would have predicted.

In some circles its commonplace to dismiss Fox News because of their perceived poltical bent. But to pigeonhole the FNC viewership as only comprised of “right-wing nutjobs” is wrong, as so many self-defined “tolerant” media consumers often do. The sheer ratings dominance of Fox strongly suggests that the breadth of their audience crosses over the aisle to both moderates and liberals alike. Why? Precisely because of their incredible influence on the debate, and frankly, the programs on FNC are very well produced and entertaining, regardless of where you stand on the issues.

President Obama has long spoken about renewing sense of civility in the policy debate and developing a bi-partisanship approach as goals for his administration. Yet, his administration made the odd decision to not include Fox News in an effort to drum up support for his Health Care agenda. Perhaps the smartest thing he can do is engage with FNC, since they seem to have all the power right now. Thanks to Roger Ailes.

Bill O'Reilly, fnc, fox news, Fox News Channel, Glenn Beck, Roger Ailes, Sean Hannity, twitter

m

“The sheer ratings dominance of Fox strongly suggests that the breadth of their audience crosses over the aisle to both moderates and liberals alike. Why? Precisely because of their incredible influence on the debate, and frankly, the programs on FNC are very well produced and entertaining, regardless of where you stand on the issues.”

A complete myth.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/news_you_watch_says_a_lot_about_how_you_ll_vote
Rasmussen poll showed that 87% of all Fox News viewers planned on voting for McCain/Palin. If that’s not homogeneity, then I don’t know what is.

The “sheer ratings dominance” doesn’t suggest a diverse audience at all. Here’s a couple of things we do know: 1) older people watch more TV 2) older people are more conservative.
CaptainAmerica

Excellent question Colby on whether Joe Wilson’s comment or Acorn is the bigger story! Have you watched the networks today? Perhaps you should do a follow up. MSNBC and CNN aren’t talking about ACORN. They are talking about Jimmy Carter’s nonsense that Joe Wilson and everyone who opposes Obama Care are racists. They still won’t get on the ACORN story.

Today to start off Hardball there was pathetic Chris Mathews going along with Nancy Pelosi’s latest lunatic statements where now she thinks all the opposition is out to kill everyone. Then he brought up Jimmy Carters remarks.

Granted, this is probably the same reason FNC is killing the competition in the ratings!! MSNBC and CNN (and the regular news networks) can’t get on a story that actually matters. They just keep peddling liberal propoganda. The whole time Chris Mathews was spouting off about Nazi flags and other things he never mentioned how that was SOP for the DAILY KO’s in attacking Bush. He never brought up how their dangerous lies of “BUSH LIED TROOPS DIED” could be. No, just attack the Republicans left and right.
CaptainAmerica

As this Pew Research CLEARLY SHOWS, FNC has the most balanced viewership of any cable news network!

Yes, Fox has the most balanced audience. You might want to look at the Pew Study from August of 2008

Fox News’ Viewers are ‘Balanced!’

http://people-press.org/reports/pdf/444.pdf

According to a new study from The Pew Research Center (.pdf) Fox News’ viewers are the most evenly divided among Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. Fox News really is balanced after all! I’m surprised by CNN’s numbers, however. I would have thought CNN’s numbers would have looked more like Fox’s.

CNN: 51% Democrats, 18% Republicans, 23% independents

MSNBC: 45% Democrats, 18% Republicans, 27% independents

Fox News: 33% Democrats, 39% Republicans, 22% independents

Also, Fox had the most balanced coverage of the election according to non-partisan studies.
m

Once again, if Fox News has that much of a balanced audience yet 90% of them voted McCain/Palin. What is your hypothesis for these two conflicting polls? I suggest brainwashing.
CaptainAmerica

If that poll is accurate it shows that if the other media outlets would have done their job in reporting on Obama, he would have lost in a landslide.

Another survey done of the election coverage showed that FNC had the most fair and balanced coverage of any of the news networks. They were even tougher on McCain than Obama. But the other networks were totally in the tank for Obama.

Face it-Obama got a free pass the entire election.

But the reality is that FNC has the most balanced viewership of any of the cable news networks.

Something the low rated liberal networks of CNN and MSNBC might want to change their reporting so they wouldn’t get totally blown away in the ratings.
m

You didn’t answer my question. Why do you think 90% of all Fox News viewers voted McCain/Palin, considering the poll you brought up said they had the most balanced type of viewers?
m

By the way, I love it when Fox News viewers say that in order for the other networks to get ratings they have to go conservative. Constantly using buzzwords like ‘freedom’ and ‘liberty’ – yet desire political homogeneity.
CaptainAmerica

It was August, they hadn’t even voted yet. And stop lying about the poll. It said 87% not 90%. And I answered the question. What part of if the other networks had done their job reporting on Obama he would have lost in a landslide don’t you grasp?!

Even the media outlets during the election were being busted by their ombudsman for missing out on reporting on Jeremiah Wright and other things. They shillled for Obama plain and simple and you know it.

Like I said, another non-partisan study showed FNC to have the most balanced NEWS COVERAGE during the election. They were even tougher on McCain than Obama. But MSNBC was way off the charts positive for Obama and negative on McCain.

Right now the chickens have come home to roost. Obama has terrible approval ratings. He’s already turned into another Jimmy Carter. If the media had done their job, he never even would have won the nomination. Of course, the only way he beat Hillary is because of the unfair rules of the DNC. Winner take all-Hillary killed Obama in the race.

And before you miss this yet again, NOBODY HAD VOTED for the general election in August of that year. You might want to think about that!
CaptainAmerica

The Pew study on the election coverage:

The Pew (PEJ) report for the 2008 election cycle is out.

FOXNEWS provided the most balanced cable coverage of the 2008 presidential election among major news outlets

The Best (least biased) and the Worst (most biased) news coverage?

BEST (FOXNEWS)
Positive Obama Stories 25%
Positive McCain Stories 22%
Negative Obama Stories 40%
Negative McCain Stories 40%

WORST (MSNBC)
Positive Obama Stories 73%
Positive McCain Stories 10%
Negative Obama Stories 14%
Negative McCain Stories 43%

TOTAL COVERAGE (all media added together – 2,412 stories from 48 outlets)
Positive Obama Stories 36%
Positive McCain Stories 14%
Negative Obama Stories 29%
Negative McCain Stories 57%
m

Ah, of course. So basically you reject that poll because it doesn’t reaffirm your already defined beliefs.
ObserverDan

OFF TOPIC;
Mediaite, I’d like to opt out of daily e-mails, yet opting out is not offered. What’s up with that?
CaptainAmerica

Obsever Dave. This tells you how to unsubscribe right here:

http://www.mediaite.com/contact/
ObserverDan

Tip of the hat to Captain America.
SuperSmart

To suggest that FNC’s audience isn’t predominantly very-right-leaning is laughable on its face.

m is obviously correct and CaptainAmerica is obviously an FNC zombie, and as such, he wouldn’t recognize truth unless it were couched in that never ending flow of race-baiting hate that FNC dishes out 24/7.
ImNotBlue

Blasted!

http://insidecablenews.wordpress.com/2009/09/17/wrong/
tellme

I wonder if FNC is helped by its dedication to reporting news throughout the weekend while other cable news channels switch to prison documentaries and other human interest programming.

When you consider how much information now spews from the White House Friday night news dump and holiday weekends, this has to give FNC an edge, no?
ChrisNH

Time for some Lib to figure out a way to roll FNC into the ‘Fairness Doctrine’ (roll eyes). These whiners are priceless. All this hand-wringing and angst over ONE network! One!
StewartIII

Inside Cable News: Wrong
http://insidecablenews.wordpress.com/2009/09/17/wrong/
CaptainAmerica

Ailes does have great power. I wouldn’t pay much attention to the ICN assessment of the situation. Usually that site is just out to complain about Fox. Look most of the recent Glen Beck stories. Usually just complaining because FNC ran Becks show instead of running Senator SNL speech. No commentary on whether Beck should be fired, the ad boycott and other things. Silence pretty much on those. Oh wait, you think Roger had alot to do with how that played out?

Also that commentary is Beck Beck Beck, but The Factor has been killing in the ratings. Lately 2 airings of that show have been pushing 6M viewers. His show beats Katie Courics two airings.

The Factor was going after Acorn long before Beck. But it was ColorofChange who made the mistake of going after Beck and after that ALL of FNC was attacking Acorn etc. It was a coordinated effort. So once again that’s Roger at the helm. He knows how to fight back. He knew to keep Beck on the air. Don’t go apologize but stick it in their face.

When James and Hannah were pushing the Acorn videos they were all over FNC. From F&F to The Facotor, Greta and even Red Eye. You name it. Once again it was an effort across all FNC shows to push that story and agenda. But from ICN, you would think once again that was a “Beck only” show. Granted, FNC didn’t have anything to do with making the video, but if FNC hadn’t pushed it so hard, nothing with Acorn would have happend.

ICN misses the boat on so many attempts. They should stick to scuba diving and posting links to stories and lay off the analysis.
CaptainAmerica

I also forgot to mention the most important thing FNC has done. FNC took the “health care” debate and snatched it from Obama and the Democrats. They’ve been doing this for 3 or more months. Them airing the townhall protests they way they did etc. Once again, that didn’t have to do with only Beck, but it was FNC all across the board. They were on top of the death panels and all the other lies in the Democrats proposals. They constantly played up the CBO’s $1 trillion number. You name it.

FNC is on fire. Their viewership (across the board) is way up this year and its amazing in that its a non election year.

Great job Roger and all at FNC for leading the charge and bringing down the “Messiah” and all terrible programs. Without FNC, health care would have already been rammed through, they would have probably gotten cap and trade passed as well. Not to mention how much other damage they could have caused. The lone voice of reason in a sea dominated by liberal media. But who is making a difference in all of the debate? Little ol FNC!