The revolving door at Fox News headquarters was spinning again Monday as parent company 21st Century Fox once again sought to put the network’s sexual harassment scandal behind it.
Bill Shine, the co-president of Fox News who faced mounting criticism over his handling of sexual harassment claims against former Chief Executive Roger Ailes and recently fired host Bill O’Reilly, became the latest employee to head for the exit.
Shine’s resignation came less than a week after Rupert Murdoch, the company’s co-chairman, took Shine and fellow Fox News Co-President Jack Abernethy to lunch in Manhattan in a high-profile show of support.
But ongoing static within the division, including the drumbeat of lawsuits and anger and frustration by women who work for Fox News, made it untenable for Shine to continue as co-president, company insiders said.
The hope among the Murdoch family, which holds the controlling shares in Fox News parent 21st Century Fox, is that the executive changes will be enough to quell the ongoing criticism of the network by activist groups and attorneys who specialize in sexual harassment cases. Those parties have said the company has not been aggressive enough in purging those responsible for a culture where sexual harassment of women was accepted.
Murdoch and his sons James and Lachlan are also looking to stem the controversy to get the approval of British regulators for 21st Century Fox’s takeover of Sky, the highly profitable satellite pay-TV service in Europe.
“Cleaning house is central to changing the corporate culture,” said Jacob S. Frenkel at the Dickinson Wright law firm in Washington, D.C., and a former counsel in the Securities and Exchange Commission. “Best practices in corporate governance usually produce changes in senior management.”
The overhaul of Fox News is the latest indication that James and Lachlan Murdoch are increasingly putting their stamp on 21st Century Fox nearly two years after they were installed as top officers at the media company. In the last year, many veteran executives have left the media company as the brothers seek to remold Fox for the digital age. The sons played a pivotal role in the ouster of Ailes, their father’s longtime friend.
“They’re having an impact — a positive impact,” said media analyst Laura Martin of Needham & Co. “They are cleaning up the mess at Fox News.”
With Shine out, Fox News is elevating Suzanne Scott, who will become president of programming at the…
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