Billo The Clown Says he's going on "vacation"

[FORD]

Bill O’Reilly announces vacation as Fox CEO mulls over ditching the host for good: report
RawStory.com
Elizabeth Preza
11 Apr 2017 at 22:05 ET

Bill O’Reilly announced Tuesday he is taking a vacation from “The O’Reilly Factor,” prompting network sources to wonder if Rupert Murdoch is poised to dump the Fox News host, New York Magazine‘s Gabriel Sherman reports.

“The assumption is that he’ll exit in a non-embarrassing way,” one Fox News staffer told Sherman. Another noted the decision is “up to the family,” meaning the Murdochs. A source said 21st Century Fox CEO James Murdoch, Rupert Murdoch’s son, wants O’Reilly off the air while Rupert and son Lachlan Murdoch want to keep him on the line-up.

Five women have received settlements against O’Reilly, totaling at least $13 million, the New York Times reports. More than 60 companies have pulled advertisements form “The O’Reilly Factor” since news of the settlements surfaced.

[FORD]

[FORD]

FUCK IT!! He's Not Doing It Live Anymore - Billo The Clown FIRED!!!

Source: Fox News and Bill O'Reilly are talking exit
by Brian Stelter
CNN
April 18, 2017: 7:30 PM ET

A well-placed source said Tuesday afternoon that representatives for Fox and O'Reilly have begun talking about an exit. But this prompted a denial from sources in O'Reilly's camp.



Even one person close to O'Reilly, however, said he will probably not be back on "The O'Reilly Factor."

The original well-placed source said an announcement about O'Reilly's fate was likely by the end of the week.

The fact that none of these sources were willing to go on the record speaks to the delicate maneuvering underway.


The network's parent company, 21st Century Fox (FOX), will hold a board meeting on Thursday, a spokeswoman told CNNMoney. One of the sources said O'Reilly will be a primary topic.

The Murdochs, the men who control 21st Century Fox, are pointedly not commenting on any of this.

But conversations inside Fox have already turned to possible O'Reilly successors.

New York magazine's Gabriel Sherman, the author of a biography about ex-Fox News boss Roger Ailes, reported Tuesday that "the Murdochs are leaning toward announcing that O'Reilly will not return to the air."

Sherman cited "three sources with knowledge of the discussions" and said "no final decision has been made."

As CNNMoney has previously reported, there had been a split between Rupert Murdoch, the company's patriarch, and his sons James and Lachlan, with James advocating for O'Reilly's ouster. Lachlan was previously said to be in the middle. Sherman said Tuesday that Lachlan has "leaned more in his brother James's direction" in recent days.

All of this is a reaction to a New York Times story about the settlement payments that O'Reilly, Fox and 21st Century Fox paid to women who accused O'Reilly of sexual harassment and verbal abuse.

Last week 21st Century Fox confirmed that an outside law firm was investigating allegations against O'Reilly.

The same firm -- Paul, Weiss -- played an instrumental role in the eventual resignation of Ailes last summer.

O'Reilly's allies feel that he has been unfairly demonized by his accusers and a biased news media.

His opponents, including some influential voices inside 21st Century Fox, feel that O'Reilly has behaved badly over the years, that his behavior has been exposed, and that it's inappropriate for Fox News to continue his show.

"The O'Reilly Factor" is by far the highest-rated program on cable news. But most of O'Reilly's advertisers abandoned the show in the wake of the Times' story.

O'Reilly began a pre-planned vacation to Italy last week. When he announced the vacation on air, Fox News and O'Reilly's own outside spokesman said he'd be back on the "Factor" on April 24. Guest hosts are filling in this week.

O'Reilly remains in Italy while his team of agents and lawyers in New York work on his behalf.

Some sources on O'Reilly's side said that, as of Tuesday afternoon, they still expect he'll be back on "The O'Reilly Factor" on Monday.

But they acknowledged that none of them know for sure.

Fox recently renewed O'Reilly's contract with the knowledge that the Times' story was in the works.

The Times reported that the new deal was structured to give Fox "more leverage over him regarding his behavior."

That could be a factor in negotiations now.

If O'Reilly does resign, or if Fox takes him off the air, he'd be the third major player to leave the network in the span of nine months. Ailes' resignation last July was the result of sexual harassment charges by women at the network, including Megyn Kelly, who herself left Fox in January. O'Reilly defended Ailes when the women first came forward.

Kelly decided to leave Fox News in January. She is launching two new shows on NBC later this year.

Fox's audience has remained extraordinarily loyal to the network amid all of the off-air controversies.

And many of O'Reilly's fans are waiting for him to get back from vacation.

But on Tuesday, Fox would no longer confirm his April 24 return date.

When asked, "Will O'Reilly be returning to the Factor on April 24?," the Murdochs' top spokesperson did not respond.

[Kristy]

Firing him would cost Fox a lot in terms of contract but he's a droopy-faced cocksucker so who cares?

[FORD]

Our friend in the red suit came up with a creative suggestion for Billo's replacement.....

So the word here in Hell is that Billo the Clown is fired from FAUX…..

Seems one of the Murdoch boys never liked him, and he’s managed to convince his brother that it’s time to send Falafel Man packing.

Now here’s my suggestion to James & Lachlan, the Murdoch heirs….

You guys want to get some ratings back in your evening lineup and even make an attempt to live up to that “Fair & Balanced” slogan that you still use?

Call Keith Olbermann and offer him the time slot. After all, he HAS worked for your company before – though it was the sports division – and from what I remember, didn’t have anything bad to say about your old man Rupert at the time. I dare say that dad might actually approve, just to shake things up.

Most of all, it will REALLY piss off O’Reilly to know that the guy who used to call him “The Worst Person In The World” at least twice a week ended up with his time slot.

You boys pull this off, and I promise I’ll give your dad an air conditioner when he arrives in Hell. Do we have a deal?

I think Satan made a fair proposal here. If MSNBC can hire all the former female FAUX anchors, isn't it about time FAUX hired somebody who used to be on MSNBC??

[twonabomber]

You don't think Tucker Carlson will end up with O'Reilly's timeslot?

[FORD]

I haven't watched FAUX since the 2004 stolen election, but I was under the impression that Fucker Carlson got Megyn Kellly's time slot. Which used to be Hannazi's time slot. So they could always let those two idiots battle it out and fight over which one gets the time slot, but that still leaves a vacancy in the FAUX schedule. I think Satan's idea is actually genius. Bringing Olbermann in and giving him the time slot (which would be the same time his MSNBC & Current shows aired. And his last sports show, if I remember correctly) would be great publicity for FAUX, and I'm sure the Murdoch boys are looking for something to generate headlines that is NOT connected to sexual harassment!

[twonabomber]

I don't watch FOX News at all. There is a bible thumper at work who turns it on as soon as he hits the break room, and then he walks out. Stupid fucker. I would rather watch the sixth repeat of SportsCenter wrapping up a golf tourney than anything fresh on FOX News.

Howard Stern mentioned Carlson and the timeslot this morning. Then Stern went on to praise Rachel Maddow and how she's up in the ratings. I had arrived at my destination, got out of the car, and didn't hear the rest.

[FORD]

[Nickdfresh]

You don't think Tucker Carlson will end up with O'Reilly's timeslot?

I dunno as it's been a while since I've seen him, but he always seemed like a boring geek-douche that had weggies done to him by other staff...

[FORD]

It's official! Billo's done.

Fox News drops Bill O'Reilly in wake of harassment allegations

By Howard Kurtz

Published April 19, 2017

FoxNews.com

Fox News is cutting ties with Bill O’Reilly, the biggest star in its 20-year history, after mounting allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior prompted the network to end his program.

“After a thorough and careful review of the allegations,” parent company 21st Century Fox said in a statement, “the company and Bill O’Reilly have agreed that Bill O’Reilly will not be returning to the Fox News Channel.”

Today’s decision seemed unimaginable a few short weeks ago, given O’Reilly’s long reign as the top-rated host in cable news.


" ... the company and Bill O’Reilly have agreed that Bill O’Reilly will not be returning to the Fox News Channel."

- Statement from 21st Century Fox

But the climate shifted dramatically after The New York Times reported on April 1 that O’Reilly or Fox had paid $13 million to settle five cases against him alleging sexual or other harassment. More than 50 advertisers withdrew from his prime-time show, and 21st Century Fox asked a law firm to investigate a complaint from a woman who said O’Reilly dropped efforts to make her a contributor in 2013 after she turned down his invitation to visit his hotel room.

O’Reilly, 67, had not commented on his status since leaving on vacation last week—he met Pope Francis today in a VIP line at the Vatican—but his lawyer issued a blistering statement yesterday accusing his liberal opponents of a “smear campaign.” The statement said O’Reilly “has been subjected to a brutal campaign of character assassination that is unprecedented in post-McCarthyist America.”

Starting Monday, Fox will air Tucker Carlson’s show an hour earlier, in O’Reilly’s 8 p.m. ET slot, and move the popular ensemble show “The Five” from 5 to 9 p.m. On May 1, “Five” member Eric Bolling will debut a one-hour program at 5 p.m., and Martha MacCallum will make her “First 100 Days” show permanent at 7 p.m.

O’Reilly’s departure comes nine months after Fox News founder Roger Ailes was forced out as chairman following a sexual harassment lawsuit by former host Gretchen Carlson and allegations by at least a half-dozen women, all of which he denied. One of them was Megyn Kelly, who also clashed with O’Reilly and who decided to leave Fox for NBC last December.

The net result is not just a transformation of Fox’s prime-time lineup, which has trounced the cable competition, but an effort by Rupert Murdoch and his sons, James and Lachlan, to change the company’s culture and make clear that harassment is unacceptable. That became increasingly difficult, and spawned resentment among some female staffers, as O’Reilly’s problems became a dominant news story.

Fox had recently signed O’Reilly to a new multi-year contract, even as executives knew the Times story was coming.

The “O’Reilly Factor” has spawned a cottage industry, with the host, who was part of the channel’s original lineup in 1996, producing a slew of best-selling books and finding himself in demand for lucrative speaking engagements. It has been a cash cow for Fox News Channel, generating about $178 million in ad revenue in 2015, according to an estimate by Kantar Media. And his ratings remained stratospheric by cable standards, averaging just under 4 million viewers in the first quarter of this year and rising even after the allegations published by the Times.

O’Reilly has survived controversial episodes in the past. One of the settlements cited by the Times drew extensive publicity in 2004, when one of his former producers, Andrea Mackris, accused him of sexually explicit phone calls. O’Reilly countersued before both sides settled the case.

Two years ago, O’Reilly came under attack for having claimed to cover the 1982 Falklands War although he had not actually been on the Falkland Islands. He blamed liberal critics for using semantics to falsely accuse him.

Most of his positions were conservative, and he maintained a cordial relationship with President Trump after having been consistently tough on President Obama. But O’Reilly styled himself an independent, sometimes took moderate stances and supported Obama’s “My Brother’s Keeper” initiative aimed at helping black youth. And there was a strong populist streak to his commentary, whether he was assailing rap music, media bias or what he branded the "War on Christmas."

Even most of his critics acknowledged that O’Reilly, a former correspondent for CBS and ABC and onetime host of “Inside Edition,” is an extraordinary broadcaster whose blustery, sometimes confrontational style kept putting people in the seats.



Howard Kurtz is a Fox News analyst and the host of "MediaBuzz" (Sundays 11 a.m.). He is the author of five books and is based in Washington. Follow him at @HowardKurtz. Click here for more information on Howard Kurtz.


Time to dance

[Terry]

In some ways surprising he is now gone ONLY in that he's been there for so long and been one of the prime-time flagship commentators there for so long...

...however, once that sheer amount (50 odd or so) of advertisers pulled out over the period of a few weeks, it wasn't going to be a shock to me if O'Reilly never returned from his lengthy vacation.

I mean, I'll give the guy his due in that he was there pretty much from the beginning when Fox News began broadcasting, so he certainly can claim as much credit for building up the network from the ground up as anybody who has passed through there in terms of on air talent. He has also put out a string of books over the years going back quite a ways that have all had a high degree of success in commercial terms. That I have had little to no use for what he has said and written is beside the point when speaking strictly about the economics of what he has done. His show was still doing well ratings wise.

Think it's just a case of O'Reilly's audience getting older and older. Couple that with the allegations and subsequent exodus of advertising dollars and O'Reilly was probably in short order going to become more trouble than he was worth. I mean, I can't imagine what the show would have been like for him should he have returned at the end of this month with the advertisers fleeing: would he really have wanted to have stayed on air while the show was in a clear death spiral?

Carlson can step into O'Reilly's slot. Sooner or later someone was going to have to anyway if Fox was hoping to decrease the average age of its viewership. Best for Fox that this happened now and they can say it was due to an advertiser revolt (typically without mentioning what caused said revolt).

[Kristy]

I don't watch FOX News at all.

That by far is the biggest god damn you have ever posted here.

[vandeleur]

Lie ?!?!
Joke !?!
Penis pic !?!

Biggest what dam it

[Nickdfresh]

This is your brain on pot and box wine...