Suzanne Scott has been named Chief Executive Officer of Fox News and Fox Business Network. Scott, who was in charge of programming, is the first female executive to take over this position at the company, and will report to both Lachlan Murdoch, Chairman of 21st Century Fox (FOXA) and Rupert Murdoch, its Executive Chairman.
The appointment was accompanied by several other management changes that were made in anticipation of the formation of a new corporate entity in the event of a merger with Walt Disney (DIS). Jay Wallace was appointed as the President and Executive Editor of Fox News, while Jack Abernethy will be CEO of Fox Television Stations Group. Lachlan Murdoch is expected to become Chairman and CEO of the new Fox while Rupert Murdoch is expected to become its co-Chairman.
Fox News has been reeling from sexual harassment as well as racial and gender discrimination scandals. Recently, the company reached a settlement to the tune of $10 million with 18 employees who alleged discrimination based on race and gender.
The sexual harassment complaints had led to the exit of Roger Ailes, who was CEO in 2016, along with Bill O’Reilly. Following the departure of Roger Ailes, the CEO position remained unoccupied.
Fox News is said to have made changes to its work culture, which have included setting up of a meditation room and the introduction of compulsory training to prevent sexual harassment and transphobia. However, some in the media industry believe that these changes do not carry much weight as the core culture at Fox News still remains the same.