Suzanne Scott named CEO of Fox News, Jay Wallace promoted to president of network

Suzanne Scott has been named CEO of Fox News and Fox Business, according to a Thursday announcement from Lachlan Murdoch, chairman of 21st Century Fox and the chairman and CEO of the proposed New Fox.

Scott, who has been with the network since its inception in 1996, will report jointly to Lachlan Murdoch and Rupert Murdoch, the 21st Century Fox executive chairman, executive chairman of Fox News and co-chairman of the proposed New Fox.

{mosads}“Suzanne has been instrumental in the success of FOX News and she has now made history as its first female CEO. Her vision and innovation have helped create some of the most popular and lucrative primetime programs on cable and as we embark on the era of the proposed New Fox, I am confident that Suzanne’s leadership will ensure the dominance of both FOX News & FBN for years to come,” Lachlan Murdoch said.

Scott, who has served as president of programming for Fox News and Fox Business since June, said she “is “incredibly honored and humbled to take on this new role and very thankful to Rupert and Lachlan for their leadership and confidence in me to run FOX News. I am beyond proud of our incredible team and the success we have built as a network.”

The network also said Jay Wallace, currently the president of news at Fox News, has been promoted to president of Fox News and executive editor. Wallace also has been with the network since it launched 22 years ago.

“With more than two decades of experience in newsgathering and production where he helped build and transform the news division, Jay Wallace’s editorial leadership and passion for journalism will serve FOX News well into the future,” Lachlan Murdoch said.

Fox News added that Jack Abernethy will continue as CEO of the newly expanded Fox Television Stations Group, which is deemed “an essential component of New Fox” in the Thursday announcement. Abernethy will relocate to Los Angeles, however, to work with Fox Broadcasting Company and Fox Sports, which are both headquartered in the area.

Lachlan Murdoch said Abernethy “has been a steadying force at FOX News during the last 21 months, establishing extensive policies and procedures while streamlining management and installing respected industry executives in key roles, all of which achieved our goal of creating a more transparent work environment. We are grateful for his leadership during this extraordinary period.”

Viewers of the cable news network have seen major changes since Roger Ailes was ousted in July 2016 amid sexual harassment allegations. The former Fox News chairman and CEO passed away in May 2017.

The most notable changes at Fox News include the losses prime-time hosts Megyn Kelly, Bill O’Reilly and Greta Van Susteren, with Kelly jumping to NBC, O’Reilly parting ways with the network in April 2017 amid sexual harassment allegations and Van Susteren leaving the network in September 2016 following a contract dispute.

Despite the changes, the new Fox News hosts have kept the network atop the cable news ratings race, with Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson and a surging Laura Ingraham consistently in the top four spots in cable news lately, along with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow.

Overall, Fox averaged 2.4 million prime-time viewers in April, leading MSNBC and CNN in the cable news race and topping all basic cable channels, including ESPN and TNT. The network was also No. 1 in the “total day” viewing category, which runs from 6 a.m. to 6 a.m. the following day, for 22 consecutive months.