News Broadcasting
Roger Ailes steps down as Fox News chairman & CEO
MUMBAI: The Murdoch family-promoted 21st Century Fox has announced Roger Ailes has stepped down as chairman and CEO of Fox News and resigned from Fox Business Network and Fox Television Stations, effective immediately.
Rupert Murdoch, Executive Chairman of 21st Century Fox, will assume the role of Chairman and acting CEO of Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network.
It’s a stunning fall for Ailes, a long time political operative and Murdoch ally, who is credited with building Fox News and leading the cable channel to ratings dominance.
In a statement released to the media last week, Rupert Murdoch said: “I am personally committed to ensuring that Fox News remains a distinctive, powerful voice. Our nation (the US) needs a robust Fox News to resonate from every corner of the country.”
Murdoch will be assisted in running the Fox businesses by existing management team under Bill Shine, Jay Wallace and Mark Kranz.
Ailes, 76, was in the eye of the storm having been accused of sexual harassment in a lawsuit filed earlier this month by former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson.
Though Ailes has vigorously denied Carlson’s claims, Fox News launched an internal investigation. The developments, critics and media observers claim, was a result of public and political pressure and perception.
“Roger Ailes has made a remarkable contribution to our company and our country. Roger shared my vision of a great and independent television organization and executed it brilliantly over 20 great years,” the company statement quoted Murdoch as saying.
In a letter to Murdoch, released by a publicist, Ailes said, “I am proud of our accomplishments and look forward to continuing to work with you as an adviser in building 21st Century Fox.”
“We join our father in recognizing Roger’s remarkable contributions to our company,” a joint statement from Murdoch’s two sons, Lachlan and James, said. The sons are in charge in charge of Fox News.
Ailes began his television career in the early 1960s as a producer at The Mike Douglas Show in Cleveland, and went onto serve as media consultant for several Republican presidents, including Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan.
“I take particular pride in the role that I have played advancing the careers of the many women I have promoted to executive and on-air positions,” Ailes wrote in the letter to Murdoch, adding that many of these talented journalists have deservedly become household names known for their intelligence and strength whether reporting the news, fair and balanced, and offering exciting opinions on opinion programmes.
In his defence, Ailes further stated in the letter that Fox News has become No. 1 in all of cable because he “identified and promoted the most talented men and women in television, and they performed at the highest levels.”
In 1996, Murdoch, seeing a market for a conservative cable news outlet, hired Ailes to create Fox News. And Ailes moulded the network to run like a political campaign operation with primetime shows that were unabashedly conservative and hosts who openly espoused Republican talking points.
The network eventually unseated CNN as the highest rated cable news network and became one of the most popular cable networks of all genres, reaching more than 90 million households.
“It is always difficult to create a channel or a publication from the ground up and against seemingly entrenched monopolies,” Murdoch Sr. said, adding, “To lead a flourishing news channel, and to build Fox Business, Roger has defied the odds.”
News Broadcasting
Network18 Q4 revenue grows 9.7 per cent, EBITDA at Rs 30 crore
PAT improves to Rs 306.6 crore, margins steady amid cost pressures.
MUMBAI: Not all news is breaking, some of it is quietly improving. Network18 Media & Investments Limited appears to be doing just that, tightening losses and stabilising margins even as costs continue to weigh on the business. For FY26, the company reported revenue from operations of Rs 1,955.1 crore, up from Rs 1,896.2 crore in FY25, signalling modest top-line growth in a challenging media environment. Total income stood at Rs 1,978.2 crore, compared to Rs 1,913 crore a year earlier.
Profit after tax came in at Rs 306.6 crore for the year, a sharp turnaround from Rs 3,225.4 crore in FY25, largely reflecting the absence of large exceptional items that had inflated the previous year’s numbers. On a more comparable basis, the company’s operating performance showed signs of gradual stabilisation.
However, the quarterly picture remained under pressure. For the March quarter, Network18 reported a loss of Rs 53.1 crore, narrower than the Rs 98.1 crore loss in the same period last year, but still indicative of ongoing cost challenges.
Expenses continued to track high. Total expenses for FY26 stood at Rs 2,235.7 crore, up from Rs 2,197.8 crore in FY25. Key cost heads included operational expenses of Rs 765.9 crore, employee benefits of Rs 475.9 crore, and marketing, distribution and promotional spends of Rs 427.1 crore, underlining the continued investment required to sustain reach and engagement.
At an operating level, margins remained under strain. Operating margin stood at 2.33 per cent for FY26, marginally higher than 1.77 per cent in FY25, while net profit margin remained negative at -13.02 per cent, though improved from -14.89 per cent.
On the balance sheet, total assets rose to Rs 8,957.6 crore as of 31 March 2026, from Rs 8,317.5 crore a year earlier. Equity strengthened to Rs 4,958.7 crore, while borrowings increased to Rs 3,112.8 crore, reflecting a higher reliance on debt to support operations.
Cash flows told a mixed story. While financing activities generated Rs 83.9 crore, operating cash flow remained negative at Rs -24 crore, highlighting ongoing pressure on core cash generation. Cash and cash equivalents, however, improved to Rs 33.9 crore from Rs 1.8 crore.
The numbers point to a company in transition growing revenues, trimming losses, but still grappling with structural cost pressures. In a sector where scale often comes at a price, Network18 seems to be inching towards balance, one quarter at a time.
