Roger Ailes was apparently not too happy that Sarah Palin chose to use Mark Levin’s show to announce that she wasn’t running for president. The article said he was so angry he thought about benching her even though he still would have had to pay her. In short, she is said to have apologized, but the article implies that Ailes is still uncertain that he will keep her after 2013:

NEW YORKER – 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.

Palin is said to have made her announcement on Levin’s show because she’s been upset that Fox News has given a platform to Karl Rove, one of her principal critics. “She isn’t happy with Karl,” one Palin adviser told me. “From day one, he hasn’t been very nice.” Levin had become Palin’s biggest booster in the conservative commentariat, and Palin is known for rewarding loyalists, and punishing her detractors.

Shine was deputized to handle the matter. He spoke with Palin’s agent, Bob Barnett, and told him that Ailes was furious with Palin’s move and that she was at risk of being “benched.” Fox still had to pay her, but they didn’t have to give her airtime. Barnett spoke with Palin and told her about the problem. After she apologized, he called Shine back and told him that Palin recognized the misstep.

But tensions between Palin and Fox haven’t subsided. Ailes, who told Newsweek that he hired Palin when she was “hot,” clearly hoped she would boost ratings. But beyond her prime-time commentary, Palin hasn’t turned into the television asset Ailes had hoped. Palin’s contract is up in 2013 and it’s unclear what the current fracas will mean for her future on Fox News. Part of her appeal as a pundit was that every appearance on the network was turbocharged by the “will-she-or-won’t-she run” speculation. She’s now given up that chip to play. But Palin knows that she still has value as a gatekeeper to her grassroots base. A Palin adviser told me that she is planning to make an endorsement for a candidate in 2012. Palin, being Palin, is keeping it tightly held. “I have an idea of who it is,” the adviser said, “but I’m not telling.” What’s clear is that Palin would be smart to make that announcement on Fox News.




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32 comments
dow daytrader
dow daytrader

The Five is a step in the right direction, but there are no Tea Party conservatives on there...Eric Bolling sounds good but always backs down when it gets tough to hang with core principles of liberty, freedom, and self determination.

dow daytrader
dow daytrader

in spite of the numerous Palinistas here, she is obviously semi-tone-deaf...she's made some good moves early on but the last 6 months she has been ineffective. She has the $$ and following to have done a lot more purely from a organizational viewpoint to assist the Tea Party in the primaries...the Republican National Committee is dying, the next election after '12 they won't even be players.

Lack of leadership, lack of planning and of course, the proverbial run on sentences that can be criticized and parsed. Disappointing.

Linky1
Linky1

One day, it will all come out in the wash. For now, it's just speculation but with a grain of truth to it.

alec russo
alec russo

Just another reason i love Palin. She refuses to play the "game". She would have been the only person i trusted to truly change Washington.

Linky1
Linky1

I lost all respect for FOX when Ailes dropped Glenn Beck. All I will tolerate now is Hannity and Greta-only if she has someone like Newt or Herman Cain on.

Glenn's sweetest revenge is the fact that his new format allows him to be who he is without the constraints of mainstream TV. Look at how the Israeli PM recently praised him-there's a real ringing endorsement.

Like anything else-FOX had too much of a good thing and got scared of it. Living in Canada, I have an alternate - SUN News. They are what FOX was - fearless and unafraid. Between that, the Right Scoop, Drudge, Breitbart - the wild west world of the internet delivers news to be as FOX used to: "Fair, Balanced and Unafraid."

deo heerai
deo heerai

PLEASE will some enterprising conservative start another national conservative news organization so we could all consider benching Fox News and Roger Ailes

Tammy P
Tammy P

Ailes and his FOX lost a lot of credibility when he publicly acknowledged kowtowing to the left for the sake of "mainstreaming". Congrats Ailes, your suicidal business decision will be ranked right up there with Netflix. Sarah should have bailed on FOX when Ailes started spewing his fecal laced comments about her. Sarah did the right thing by not announcing on FOX.

Stuart Hall
Stuart Hall

The five is the most idiots at one place at one time. have tried to watch it a few times and turn it off within minuets. Fox has become very quickly a non news with many moderates who think they can elect Romney Care into the WH. No doubt they will hire BHO in 5 years after they get him re-elected. GBTV is the news for now.

dow daytrader
dow daytrader

Fox Snooze is going liberal at warp speed, all that is left is Talk Radio...Hot Air is going mediocre middle as well, eating our own conservatives that are trying to rescue America.

dow daytrader
dow daytrader

Why would Palin apologize? another brain-fart by SP....she's not standing up to her core beliefs...another wishy washy politico that doesn't understand you must take a stand and not retreat...

Mike Lee
Mike Lee

Palin was right to do it on Levin's show. Fox is establishment Republican. Levin is more Tea Party. Makes perfect sense. She was under no obligation to do it on Fox, so too bad Ailes.

Chris Dias
Chris Dias

Sarah did the right thing and Karl Rove is an imbecile. I would have done the same thing. What about O'reilly, and the list is long enough. We got Greta and Hannity giving normal interviews and talking about her (behind her back) in a respectful way only. I never go to Fox anymore unless something is posted here.

nydivide
nydivide

Well, we aren't happy with Roger Ailes showing Bob Beckels disgusting face on his network; nor are we happy with Bill O'Reilly - aka Howard Baxter, aka intellectual featherweight - 1) attacking the tea party 2) giving air time to John Liebowitz Stewart and the 4'9" troll known as Bill Maher. Fox news is CNN-lite. The real news on is Rush, Levin, Drudge, and The Right Scoop.

Allen Poe
Allen Poe

Clears the road for Sec state for Perry.

Therese
Therese

After Beck left, my viewing time on FOX has dropped by 80%. Fox favors the elite DC politician. The rest of America does not. They lost us. Who needs Fox when we now have Breitbart, Beck, Levin, Drudge, PJTV, ReasonTV, Rush, and of course The Right Scoop etc...etc...etc...????? They bailed on us for $$$$$ and we bailed on them.

The Monster
The Monster

If that's what Ailes was paying her for, it should have been in her contract.

Michael Alaniz
Michael Alaniz

The only show's I watch on Fox are Hannity, and On the Record with Greta Van Susteren, they are the only ones who treat Governor Palin with respect and are the only ones who are fair to her. The way Fox has treated Governor Palin before she announced her decesion to not run for President and went into attack mode on her, I have lost complete faith in Fox News. Also, ever since Roger Ailes' "course change" and Ailes pushing his agenda on the viewers and voters to once again select our candidate (Romney) for us instead of letting the primary process unfold, I can't trust Fox News anymore.

blackbird
blackbird

I like the Fox Business folks as well and they are fair to the Governor.

John
John

Screw Fox News. Arrogant fops.

Anonymous.
Anonymous.

She could launch her own network. Or something. I mean, is it really surprising though that this dumb fool would go about doing this?

Professor Why
Professor Why

It'd be more fun to see her as the new political correspondent on GBTV... ;)

Art Telles
Art Telles

Dittos and Double Dittos Professor Why...

If Glenn Beck knows what's long term good for America, Sarah Palin would be more than a financial asset for a new venture, which is what GBTV.com is.

Sarah Palin would be a North Star focus of attention who would bring honor and respect that would transcend the financial aspect of the business side of GBTV.

As Glenn has said in the past, he founded GBTV.com because he wanted to be free to speak from the heart about the issues that he thinks are important to him and are relevant to our Republic.

Well.

Sarah Palin speaks from the heart too.

Mrs. Palin, whom I often reference as the LADY with a "servant's heart" of gold who has gone through the political fire and come through it all with a character that is definitely beyond reproach, would not only be an emotional and spiritual asset to GBTV.com, the serendipity is that Mrs. Palin would be a financial asset too.

Why would Roger Ailes hire Mrs. Palin in the first place?

Case closed.

Art

Art Telles
Art Telles

Sarah Palin...

There's just something about that Lady.

Some people think they can make money with her name, persona, influence.

Some people don't think.

And, it seems to me, Roger Ailes does not know, uh, Palin.

- - - - - - - - -

Sarah Palin is original, unique, one of a kind.

American Heritage Dictionary:

Unique: adjective

1. Being the only one of its kind.

2. Without an equal or equivalent; unparalled.

3. Unusual; extraordinary.

Original: adjective

1. Preceding all others in time; first.

2. Not derived from something else; fresh and unusual.

3. Showing a marked departure from previous practice; new.

4. Productive of new things or ideas; inventive.

5. Being the source from which a copy, reproduction, or translation is made.

Original: noun

1. A first from which other forms are made or developed.

2. An authentic work of art.

3. A person who is appealingly odd or curious; a character.

4. (Archaic) The source from which something arises; an originator.

-Being the only one of its kind

-Without an equal or equivalent

-Unparalled

-Not derived from something else

-Fresh and Unusual

-Showing a marked departure from previous practice

-The source from which something arises

-An Originator

Yes... This is definitely Sarah Palin

Yes... yes it is!!!

Sarah Palin is NOT another George Washington.

Sarah Palin is NOT another Abraham Lincoln.

Sarah Palin is NOT another Ronald Reagan.

Sarah Palin IS like them.

Sarah Palin is, well, Sarah Palin.

Original and Unique... one of a kind.

However, this is only the opinion of only one guy... who really, really, really likes Governor Sarah Palin.

Art

GlockLady
GlockLady

As far as I am concerned, she should have told FOX to stick it a long time ago. In fact, I think she would have been better off to have never signed with them.

Dave
Dave

She will have to endorse Ron Paul. Everyone else will diminish her standing within the tea party at this point.

Professor Why
Professor Why

Maybe she'd BE the type of hot commodity for Fox that Ailes was looking for if they didn't actively sabotage her every friggin' second they get! Oy!

dow daytrader
dow daytrader

totally disagree...Palin has not used the Fox Snooze perch effectively....she needs to take on members of the media and call them out, Chris Wallace included.

disappointing that Professor Why has 26 people agreeing with him/her...Palin needs to take responsibility for her shortcomings and affix no blame to anyone else. She is highly disappointing in my book.

Professor Why
Professor Why

Yes, how DARE people agree with my sentiments! Don't agree with me, people! Bad free-willed people! Bad! ;)

Seriously, though... I'll agree she needs to take on the media whenever they misstep. And I'll say that ANY public figure should take responsibility for his or her shortcomings, actions, and the like.