At age 90, one-time swashbuckling media tycoon Rupert Murdoch is sent out on what could be his last mission. That's to save the cable network he co-founded. That is, Fox.
Ratings are down. Right-wing upstarts are eating his lunch, at least in influence.
In addition, the media world is resetting post-Trump Administration.
Also, Fox is being sued. There has been litigation filed by Smartmatic against Fox per se and three of its on-air personalities.
As Murdoch steps back into operations, he is taking decisive action.
As Yahoo reports, controversial business-news anchor Lou Dobbs is out. He is one of the three being sued by Smartmatic for pushing the idea of a fraudulent election. The other two are Maria Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro. Lawsuits are nasty business. That's more and more the situation as plaintiffs have become savvy in how to present their contentions in the court of public opinion.
Although Dobbs still is on contract, at least for now, he will no longer appear on-air.
In the process he could bring down others on his own professional network. For example, Manhattan public relations player Bob Dilenschneider had represented Dobbs in the past. He may still be in the loop. The dollar amount of business Dobbs can now "order" and the prestige of that account may have gone poof. Previously, Dilenschneider had been the personal public relations representative for the late Roger Ailes who allegedly had been pushed out of Fox for alleged sexual misconduct.
Of course, although Dobbs is over at Fox, he might have new runway at a far-right media outlet. However, the guy is 75 and he is carrying a lot of baggage. The Smarmatic lawsuit could deter others from hiring him, even as a part-timer or gig worker. This lawsuit is for $2.7 billion. Not chump change.
Meanwhile, Bartiromo's brand has been tarnished by her softball interview of Donald Trump. Also, she had been played by an animals rights advocate. Her teams obviously had blown the vetting process.
In these days when the liberal arts are devalued, it still pays to have had picked up an elective course in William Shakespeare in college. There is the infamous line from the history play "Henry IV, Part 2" - "Uneasy lies the head which wears the crown." That may also apply to those serving the crown.
Reflection: Does Fox have a future?
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