Roger Ailes

Chairman and CEO of Fox Television Stations

Roger Ailes was born on May 15, 1940. He is currently the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President of FOX News.

Ailes became Chairman and CEO of Fox Television Stations on August 15, 2005. His first significant policy change came in September when he canceled "A Current Affair" and replaced it with "Geraldo at Large." Hosted by the magnetic Geraldo Rivera, the show premiered in October 2005. In the same month, Ailes picked former CBS executive Dennis Swanson to be President of FOX TV Stations group, which owns 35 stations in the United States.

Ailes met Richard Nixon when he appeared as a guest on the Mike Douglas Show, and went on to assist him with his presidential campaign. According to Joe McGinnis's book, The Selling of the President 1968, Ailes arranged an event where Nixon appeared in front of a carefully selected audience to accentuate his charisma. The campaign then paid for television stations to broadcast these events, which were made to appear as if they were news. As media consultant for the George H. W. Bush campaign, Ailes was a significant player in the exploitation of the Willie Horton story against Bush's opponent, Michael Dukakis.

As far as career advice he gives, Ailes says: "You've got just 60 days to prove yourself on a new job - and just seven seconds to make a good first impression. Seven seconds is all that people need to start making up their minds about you. If you don't demonstrate an energetic attitude on your first day, you're already screwing up." Ailes also possesses a valuable work ethic: "I worked hard, and I was always taught that you work hard, and you use your brain, and you provide a value for whoever you’re working for." Ailes success has demonstrated that he is a businessman who knows how to be successful in business.