Washington: Fox News has a new CEO, Suzanne Scott, marking the first time a woman has run the cable news network.
Rupert Murdoch, who took charge after CEO Roger Ailes was forced out amid a sexual harassment scandal in 2016, will remain executive chairman of Fox News. Scott will report to both Rupert and his son Lachlan, CNN reported.
Jay Wallace is effectively Scott’s No. 2. His new title is president of Fox News and executive editor.
For the past year, Scott has been the president of programming, meaning she had oversight of opinion shows like “Fox & Friends” and “Hannity”. Wallace has been president of news, with oversight of shows like “Special Report”.
They shared responsibilities with Fox News co-president Jack Abernethy, who primarily ran business operations. The three executives have been credited with turning Fox News around in the wake of the Ailes scandal, CNN reported.
Scott herself is mired in harassment claims. Staff were apparently aghast when she was promoted in 2017, as she had been the executive tasked with enforcing Ailes’s miniskirt dress code for women.
Her appointment comes two days after Fox News paid about $10 million in a settlement that they hoped would resolve many of their outstanding racial and gender discrimination lawsuits, the Guardian reported.
Scott will be CEO of both Fox News and its sister network Fox Business.
The changes were announced on Thursday as part of a broader reorganization of Fox.
The Murdochs have been preparing what they call “New Fox,” a slimmed-down version of 21st Century Fox that will emerge once Disney takes control of the existing company’s movie studio, entertainment channels and other assets, the CNN report added.
