31 Facts About Roger Ailes

1.

Roger Eugene Ailes was an American television executive and media consultant.

2.

Roger Ailes was the chairman and CEO of Fox News, Fox Television Stations and 20th Television.

3.

Roger Ailes died on May 18,2017, at the age of 77 after a subdural hematoma that was aggravated by his hemophilia.

4.

Roger Ailes was born and grew up in the factory town of Warren, Ohio, the son of Donna Marie and Robert Eugene Roger Ailes, a factory maintenance foreman.

5.

Roger Ailes had hemophilia and was often hospitalized as a youth.

6.

Roger Ailes attended the Warren city schools, and later was inducted into Warren G Harding High School's Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame.

7.

Roger Ailes's father was an authoritarian parent who was often physically and verbally abusive, while Roger Ailes later recalled that his mother feared his hemophilia and was only physically affectionate "once in a while".

8.

Roger Ailes's parents divorced in 1960; when he came home from college for Christmas break, they informed him that he would have to stay at a friend's house.

9.

In 1962, Roger Ailes graduated from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, where he majored in radio and television and served as the student station manager for WOUB for two years.

10.

Roger Ailes continued as executive producer for the show when it was syndicated nationally, and in 1967 and 1968 he won Emmy Awards for it.

11.

In 1967, Roger Ailes had a spirited discussion about television in politics with one of the show's guests, Richard Nixon, who took the view that television was a gimmick.

12.

Later, Nixon called on Roger Ailes to serve as his Executive Producer for television.

13.

Roger Ailes's pioneering work in framing national campaign issues, capitalizing on the race-based Southern strategy and making the stiff Nixon more likable and accessible to voters was later chronicled in The Selling of the President 1968 by Joe McGinniss.

14.

In 1984, Roger Ailes worked on the campaign to reelect Ronald Reagan.

15.

Roger Ailes was credited with the "Orchestra Pit Theory" regarding sensationalist political coverage in the news media, which originated with his quip:.

16.

Roger Ailes announced his withdrawal from political consulting in 1991.

17.

Roger Ailes refused to release a copy of the memo he sent to Bush.

18.

In 1988, Roger Ailes wrote a book with long-time aide Jon Kraushar entitled You Are the Message: Secrets of the Master Communicators.

19.

In 1989, Roger Ailes wrote a book with Jon Kraushar entitled You Are the Message: Getting What You Want by Being Who You Are.

20.

Roger Ailes eventually made his way back to television, this time focusing on cable news.

21.

Roger Ailes was hired by News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch in 1996 to become the CEO of Fox News, effective on October 7.

22.

Roger Ailes hired former Viacom executive Dennis Swanson in October 2005 to be president of the Fox Television Stations Group.

23.

Also in 2011, Roger Ailes was criticized for referring to executives of the public radio network NPR as "Nazis" for firing a news analyst, Juan Williams, after Williams had made remarks considered by NPR to be offensive.

24.

On July 21,2016, Roger Ailes resigned from Fox News, receiving $65 million from 21st Century Fox in an exit agreement.

25.

Roger Ailes continued to advise Murdoch and 21st Century Fox through 2017 until his death.

26.

Roger Ailes stated that her allegations resulted first in her being demoted, and then in her being taken off the air in April 2016.

27.

Roger Ailes had residences in Cresskill, New Jersey, and Palm Beach, Florida.

28.

Roger Ailes was a longtime friend of journalist and media personality Barbara Walters.

29.

In October 2007, Roger Ailes donated to Ohio University for a renovated student newsroom.

30.

Roger Ailes had majored in radio and television while at Ohio University and served two years as manager of the school's radio station.

31.

On May 10,2017, Roger Ailes fell and hit his head at his Palm Beach, Florida, home.