Roger Ailes is the original media mover and shaker in conservative circles. In fact for a long time Ailes drew those circles himself, deciding who was in and who was out. With conservative bona fides like having worked for Nixon, Reagan and George H.W. Bush, Ailes has nevertheless been very adaptable — and willing to move when the political wind dictates. Ailes is credited with nearly single-handedly building Fox News into the essential platform for any conservative hoping to win traction among the electorate. And Ailes made a fortune doing it. Now Ailes is exercising his kingmaker status once again at Fox News with big moves ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
[Roger Ailes tells his strategy secrets in You Are the Message: Secrets of the Master Communicators]
Ailes has created a new division at Fox that will specialize in longform programming. Fox has done well with the longform format, winning both advertiser enthusiasm and political impact with provocative productions like “13 Hours in Benghazi” and “Rising Threats-Shrinking Military.” Michael Clemente, a Fox News veteran and former EVP of News will run the longform division. Ailes moved Jay Wallace up to EVP of News from SVP and exec producer. The Fox longform division is expected to have plenty to say before November.
