Trouble In Paradise: Roger Ailes Upset With Sarah Palin

Apparently, he didn’t like the fact that she made her announcement about her 2012 intentions on a radio show:

Sarah Palin’s announcement that she wouldn’t run for president disappointed her legions of admirers — but it infuriated Roger Ailes. The Fox News chief wasn’t angry  about the decision itself. Rather, he was livid that Palin made the October 5 announcement on Mark Levin’s conservative talk-radio program, robbing Fox News of an exclusive and a possible ratings bonanza. Fox was relegated to getting a follow-up interview with Palin on Greta Van Susteren’s 10 p.m. show, after the news of Palin’s decision had been drowned out by Steve Jobs’s death. Ailes was so mad, he considered pulling her off the air entirely until her $1 million annual contract expires in 2013.

After the announcement, he called Fox’s executive vice-president Bill Shine into a meeting. Shine is the network’s principal point of contact with Palin. Ailes told him she had made a big mistake. “I paid her for two years to make this announcement on my network,” Ailes pointedly told Shine. Sources described the episode on condition of anonymity, given the sensitivity of the relationships.

Sort of puts into perspective what all that Palin Presidential speculation was really all about, doesn’t it? Ratings, ratings, ratings.

The article goes on to note that Ailes isn’t entirely thrilled with how Palin has worked out as a commentator on Fox over the past two years, and that her contract might not be renewed when it expires in 2013. The bloom, it seems, is off the rose.

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Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Comments

  1. Old Roger should know how Palin gets around since he’s had her in pocket so long and contributed to and paid for her obscene rhetoric. She sells herself to the highest bidder and that should come as no surprise. I don’t think she has anything to worry about anyhow if he lets her go. Palin looks sell what comes out of her mouth and the proof is evident in these pictures showing just how nasty she’ll get for the cash at http://dregstudiosart.blogspot.com/2011/06/ecstasy-of-sarah-palin_15.html

  2. Mr. Prosser says:

    The bloom, it seems, is off the rose.
    Like the Louden Wainwright song: “Hold your nose, that ain’t no rose, dead skunk in the middle of the road.”

  3. Rick Patel says:

    A Sarah Palin story from ultra-leftist New York Magazine is highly suspect, to say the least. Be assured that gorgeous Gov. Sarah Palin cares not a fig about Roger Ailes or a contract renewal at FOX. She is a free spirit if ever there was one.

  4. Rick Almeida says:

    @Rick Patel:

    The starbursts…blinding me!

  5. Restless says:

    You know, I’ve always wondered…is there a difference between leftist and ultra-leftist? I mean is there like a line drawn somewhere or are leftists graded on a point scale? I call myself an uber-leftist (I also like Demon-crat, that’s a great title), but that’s largely because I like how it sounds.

  6. sam says:

    Grifter to Supergrifter: You made a big mistake, sister.

  7. Bleev K says:

    @Rick Patel: How’s the weather on your planet?

  8. Ernieyeball says:

    @Rick Patel: ”She is a free spirit if ever there was one.”
    No. She charges for everything.

  9. Liberty60 says:

    Where I come from, “free spirit” means unemployed.

  10. anjin-san says:

    is there a difference between leftist and ultra-leftist?

    Let’s not forget about uber-leftists…

  11. Fiona says:

    Sarah’s time in the spotlight seems to be over. Since she announced that she wasn’t running for president, she’s scarcely made the news. A happy turn of events.

  12. sam says:

    @Rick Patel:

    However can you type with the thing poking you in the chin?

  13. Kylopod says:

    >Let’s not forget about uber-leftists…

    Personally I prefer “super-leftist.” Maybe I can get my own cape.