What was Roger Ailes' net worth and salary?
Roger Ailes was an American television executive who had a net worth of $200 million at the time of his death in 2017. Roger Ailes began working in the film and television industry just after graduating from college. He was hired as a production assistant for the local talk show, "The Mike Douglas Show". Over the course of the next six years, he worked his way up from production assistant to Producer, to Executive Produce and was even nominated for a Daytime Emmy. He impressed Richard Nixon during a discussion of the purpose of television, and was tapped to serve as his Executive Producer of TV. This began a long career of serving as a consultant for various Republican political figures during their election bids, including, decades later, future President Donald Trump. He also began producing theater productions with varying degrees of success.
In 1993 he was named President of financial news network CNBC. In 1996, he was invited by News Corp President Rupert Murdoch to helm a new channel – the Fox News Channel. Roger Ailes served as the President of the Fox News Channel, as well as the Chairman of the Fox Television Stations Group until 2016 when he was fired in the wake of a sexual harassment scandal.
Roger Ailes Fox News Salary
In June 2015 Roger signed a new multi-year contract to stay at Fox News for several years beyond 2016 (when his contract was set to expire). At the peak of his power and career, from roughly 2004 to 2016, Roger consistently earned $20 million per year in salary, of which $5 million was base salary and the remainder was stock options and bonus. That means between 2004 and 2016, Roger earned a minimum of $240 million in total compensation from News Corp, before taxes. His contract also granted Roger security services for his family, access to a full-time driver and the News Corp corporate jet for business travel.
During his reign, Ailes brought Fox News to unprecedented popularity and power, especially in the wake of the September 11th attacks. Fox News proved to be an enormously important profit producer for the company. In 2014 alone, Fox News contributed 18% of 21st Century Fox's total profits. Advertising revenue generated around $2 billion per year. He was fired in 2016 after several current and former female Fox anchors accused Roger of sexual predation. Ailes was reportedly given a $40 million severance package to step down from the network. Roger Ailes died on May 18, 2017 at the age of 77. No cause of death was reported but his wife Elizabeth did reveal that Ailes was a hemophiliac who was plagued by obesity and arthritis.
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Real Estate Portfolio
Roger owned a vast portfolio of real estate around the United States. In October 2016, just one year before he died, Roger spent $36 million (all cash) on a 10,000 square foot oceanfront mansion in Palm Beach, Florida. There was a major legal advantage to relocating to Florida full-time. In Florida, courts cannot force the sale of someone's home to pay off judgments, and troubled tycoons have routinely used the state's law to invest in real estate. Ailes has owned property in Palm Beach County in the past, including a beachfront condo on Singer Island that he sold to Fox financial guru Neil Cavuto for $525,000 in 2003. The home is roughly 5 miles for Donald Trump's Mar-A-Lago resort. In New York and New Jersey he owned a number of properties, including several homes in Putnam County, NY.
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Early Life
Roger Ailes was born on May 15, 1940, in Warren, Ohio. He grew up in a working-class family and attended Ohio University, where he studied radio and television. After graduation, he worked as a producer for The Mike Douglas Show, a daytime talk show, and later served as a media consultant for several political campaigns, including those of Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and George H.W. Bush.
CNBC
In 1993, Ailes was hired by NBC to launch a new cable news channel called CNBC. He served as the president of CNBC and helped to turn it into a successful business news network. However, Ailes clashed with his colleagues at NBC and was eventually forced to resign in 1995.
Fox News
After leaving CNBC, Ailes was hired by media mogul Rupert Murdoch to launch a new cable news network called Fox News. Ailes was the founding CEO and chairman of Fox News, and he helped to turn it into one of the most influential and profitable news networks in the world. Under his leadership, Fox News became known for its conservative-leaning commentary and its coverage of controversial political issues.
Fall From Grace
In 2016, Ailes was forced to resign from Fox News amid allegations of sexual harassment. Several women, including former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson, accused Ailes of making unwanted sexual advances and creating a hostile work environment. Ailes denied the allegations, but he was ultimately forced to resign from his position at Fox News. The scandal also led to the departure of several other high-profile Fox News employees, including Bill O'Reilly and Megyn Kelly.
Personal Life and Death
Ailes was married three times and had one child. He was a prominent figure in Republican politics and was known for his conservative views. He authored several books, including "You Are the Message: Getting What You Want by Being Who You Are" and "The Fox News Factor: The Inside Story of Roger Ailes and the Rise of Fox News."
Ailes passed away on May 18, 2017, at the age of 77. His death was attributed to complications from a subdural hematoma, which he had sustained after falling in his home. Despite his controversial legacy, Ailes is remembered as a trailblazer in the cable news industry and a pioneer in conservative media.
