Alaska News

Fox News Channel chief Ailes again pokes the Mama Grizzly

Fox News Channel chief executive Roger Ailes sat down to talk at length with a television reporter from The Associated Press about the 15 years since he was asked to create and lead what eventually became cable's top news and opinion outlet, in the past year averaging more viewers than both of its nearest competitors combined, and which is now the marquee brand among a handful of related outlets.

Ailes continues to maintain that his network has no political bias or pre-conceived agenda, crediting its long success with consistency and its competitors' failures. At many points in the interview, Ailes's overarching operational priority (not too different from most other television producers) peeks through: To get ratings.

By way ostensibly of illustrating that principle, Ailes says that ratings, not politics, were the reason he hired former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to a commentary contract.

"I hired Sarah Palin because she was hot and got ratings," he declared.

Read much, much more, here.

Craig Medred

Craig Medred is a former writer for the Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Dispatch and Alaska Dispatch News. He left the ADN in 2015.

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