Former CNN President Heaps Praise On Fox News’ Roger Ailes, Megyn Kelly, The Five
NPR Media Correspondent David Folkenflik and former CNN president Jon Klein sat down for an interview with HuffPo Live where they discussed the future of Fox News Channel. Asked about Fox News Channel’s post-election dip in the ratings, Klein dismissed the notion that the cable news network had entered a period of terminal decline. He praised the competitive nature of FNC President Roger Ailes and acknowledged the success of both the network’s anchors and show concepts.
With MSNBC climbing in the ratings and Fox News Channel’s pre-election ratings highs dwindling, Folkenflik and Klein were asked if they think the “era of Fox dominance is over?”
“It doesn’t look like that at the moment,” Folkenflik said. “It’s been a tough stretch for Fox in the sense that it’s been a tough stretch for conservatives.”
He observed that the pundit class on Fox News Channel – as well as the Mitt Romney campaign – had poorly prepared their audience for the prospect of a loss in the general election. As a result, there has not been a lot of “happy talk” from Fox News’ prime time hosts since the election which, Folkenflik says, has driven away loyal viewers.
Klein added, however, that it was a mistake to claim that Fox News had entered an era of permanent decline because Ailes is a “ferocious competitor.”
“He pulls things out of nowhere, like that show The Five – I mean, that was a big, gaping hole,” Klein said. “He lost Glenn Beck who had millions of viewers and what does he do? Seamlessly, you know, replaces it with a team that can be a breeding ground for more talent.”
Klein had kind words for dayside anchor Megyn Kelly as well, whom he said any network would be happy to have on their lineup.
Watch the clip below via HuffPo Live:
