Fox News, or as many simply refer to it, Fox, is an American news television station available with a cable subscription that broadcasts out of studios located in Manhattan, New York. With a wide-reaching audience in over 86 countries and territories, Fox News Channel is a powerhouse in the cable news broadcasting world and has been for over two decades.
So let’s now delve a little deeper into who owns Fox News.
Fox News Channel was launched to an incredible audience of 17 million cable viewers all the way back on October 7th, 1996. It was brought to life by Rupert Murdoch. He is an Australian-American-born media tycoon who was already very successful in the world of print and had previously launched a 24-hour news channel in the United Kingdom known as Sky News back in 1989.
How Fox News was Born
The Fox News Channel was the brainchild of Rupert Murdoch and his philanthropist friend Marvin Davis who, in 1985, sought to be an up-and-coming competitor to already existing news enterprises, namely ABC, CBS, and the NBC. Together they snapped up six existing television stations from then big gun Metromedia to come together and be a rival news force; more on this later.
With his previous successions in publishing and News Broadcasting, Rupert Murdoch had the foresight and drive to create this dedicated cable news channel bringing up-to-date news bulletins and interesting programs round the clock.
With the channel being aimed at a more conservative public, Murdoch was able to headhunt former CNBC Executive and Republican media consultant Roger Ailes. He was there from its humble beginnings and was brought on board as Fox New’s first acting CEO. This title has since changed hands and now belongs to Suzanne Scott since 2018, and Rupert has taken on the role of Executive Chairman since 2016.
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Popular in the ’90s and ’00s
After its launch, Fox News became a household name in the late 1990s and 2000s. It has been estimated that it reached over 87 Million households (that’s over 91% of American households alone) in the United States with combined cable and television subscribers by 2018. And in 2019, it was reported that the cable channel alone reached 2.5 million US homes, making it the most watched News Network over the likes of ABC, NBC, and CBS.
Fox News was at the forefront of new tech with its use of readable text and stylizing of its programs. The idea of creating on screen pop ups and text blurbs along with making the reports and show segments bright, interesting, and really able to capture the audience’s attention.
This new style of programming enabled the viewer to read important points on screen without the volume on and became a new and helpful tool for reaching audiences. Also, with summaries of each story in real-time on screen, it helped hearing-impaired viewers, which was also very popular.
Who owns Fox News
Fox News Channel is owned and operated by Fox News Media, which in turn is owned by its parent company, Fox Corporation. There are several divisions brought together under this umbrella, and they include Fox Television Stations, Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox Sports, and Fox Business.
Fox News Worldwide
Fox News is currently broadcast in over 40 countries on a variety of providers. These include:
- AUSTRALIA – You will find Fox News broadcasting on the prominent cable network Foxtel.
- BRAZIL – Brazilians can view Fox News via Vivo TV.
- CANADA – If based in Canada, you’ll see FNC showing on Canwest’s Global Television Network or CGTN.
- INDIA – Fox News is broadcast via Disney+Hotstar, which is a fairly new paid service being previously made available from 21st Century Fox.
- INDONESIA – Indonesia gets it via pay-per-view TV provider First Media.
- ISRAEL – There are a few options to view FNC in Israel; these include Satellite provider YES, Cable Provider HOT as well as Cellcom TV, and Partner TV.
- ITALY – Fox News has been broadcasting on SKY Italia since 2003.
- JAPAN – Whenever in Japan, you’ll have the ability to view Fox News via Americable, Mediatti, and Pan Global TV Japan.
- MEXICO – Izzy Telecom is the provider of FNC in Mexico.
- THE NETHERLANDS – The Dutch community used to have several different viewing platforms; however, over the years, this has decreased to just one provider; Caiway, which now only reaches a very small portion of the country.
- NEW ZEALAND – Fox News can be seen via Sky Network Television’s digital platform.
- PAKISTAN – If based in Pakistan, you can view Fox News on PTCL Smart TV as well as some cable and IPTV operators.
- PHILIPPINES – The FNC can be viewed via a few different platforms in the Philippines; these include Sky Cable, Cablelink, and G Sat.
- SINGAPORE – Singapore broadcasts FNC on a paid subscription to STARHUB TV and can also be viewed on its sister channel, Sky News.
- SOUTH AFRICA – A popular viewing channel that goes by the name StarSat is where you’ll find Fox News broadcasting in South Africa.
Political Difficulties
As time went on, Fox News was regularly criticized for being very biased when it came to political programs. Always showing the Republican Party, along with George W. Bush and Trump administrations, in a positive and kindly light. Whereas the complete opposite for the Democratic Party, which was always portrayed with much negativity.
It has even been reported that former employees had been instructed to ‘slant the news reports in favor of the conservative parties,’ which resulted in the channel being called “detrimental” to the integrity of news reporting in general. However, when employees were questioned, they held true to their statements of fair and unbiased reporting.
Sexual Harassment Allegations
There have been quite a few scandalous accusations thrown around Fox News Anchors and executives over the years. From employees to on air hosts and big names within the company. Some were taken seriously, and others not so, leaving many questions as to why did Fox News settle lawsuits with one particular Executive but not another?
Here’s why. Former CEO Roger Ailes had at least four lawsuits ensuing with current and ex-employees; however, co-president of Fox News Bill Shrine decided to ignore these lawsuits and simply fire him instead.
Then there was Charles Payne…
He had been suspended due to allegations, as well as hosts Bill O’Reilly and Eric Bolling. Payne was reinstated to his position in Fox business after he was cleared from any misconduct; however, Eric Bolling was terminated from his contract in 2015.
Bill O’Reilly spent a few more years working with Fox News as prime-time host for his show – the ‘O’Reilly Factor.’ However, he was terminated again in 2017 after it came out he and the FNC network had settled six sexual misconduct lawsuits out of court, totaling an alleged $45 million.
After this came to light, there was a 50% drop in viewers tuning on to the previously extremely popular show, and just over 40% of advertisers had withdrawn from the network.
Moving with the times
Fox has a very big online presence following the launch of its website Fox News online, in December 1995. It was another great avenue for up-to-date reports and the latest coverage in breaking news.
It also evolved and, in 2008, began live streaming with the main segment called ‘The Strategy Room,’ which ran live from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm daily and was aimed at older generations. There are also video clips available to watch on Foxbusiness.com and FoxNews.com.
There is another version named Fox News Latino, which was created to attract the Hispanic community; however, most of this is still written in English, with only a minor section actually in Spanish.
FNC then established a radio station that started airing live in 2003. The presenters were a combination of the TV personalities the company already had on board, mixed with some new radio personalities. It featured talk back programs and newscasts. A few years later, the corporation also created Fox News Talk, which was available on satellite radio with the same presenters.
Want to know more about Fox News?
Then check out the following superb resources, Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth, Confessions of a Former Fox News Christian, or FOX NEWS: THE ENEMY WITHIN: BRINGING DOWN AMERICA — FOR A BUCK.
Or, to find out more about the man behind Fox News, take a look at The Man Who Owns the News – Inside the Secret World of Rupert Murdoch, Good Times, Bad Times: The Explosive Inside Story of Rupert Murdoch, or Rupert Murdoch: A Reassessment.
Or, if you want to show the world how much you love Fox News, then get yourself a Fox News Channel Fox & Friends Camo Hat, a Fox News Channel Real News T-Shirt, or a pair of If You Can Read This I’m Watching Fox Cotton Socks in 2023.
Who Owns Fox News – Conclusion
Rupert Murdoch achieved everything he had hoped for with Fox News, catapulting this 24-hour news broadcasting company into the world of cable viewing and rocking the boat with the likes of the existing big guns, namely the ABC, NBC, and CBS.
Fox News became a powerhouse pretty early on in its conception and has grown to be one the most successful enterprises in up-to-date news broadcasting; as of the year 2020, employs around 9000 staff and has an estimated worth of 20 billion.
Happy news watching!
