James Murdoch Gives Fox News High Marks for Getting Rid of Roger Ailes

James Murdoch praised 21st Century Fox for moving quickly to remove Fox News chief Roger Ailes in the wake of sexual harassment allegations.

“We did a good job in acting decisively,” Murdoch, who serves as the company’s CEO, told an investor-heavy audience at Monday’s UBS Global Media and Communications Conference.

Although he didn’t delve deeply into the specifics around Ailes’ alleged behavior, he gave his father, Rupert Murdoch, an A+ for stepping in and managing Fox News in the wake of the leadership shakeup. Last summer, former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson accused Ailes of making sexually charged and inappropriate remarks. A company-backed investigation turned up more charges of harassment by Ailes against other female employees, including Megyn Kelly, a network star.

Murdoch said that ratings have dropped following Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential race over Hillary Clinton, but noted that Fox News is retaining more of its audience than rivals CNN and MSNBC.

The 21st Century Fox chief was also pressed about media consolidation. AT&T has a deal in place to buy Time Warner for $85.4 billion, which could put pressure on companies like Fox to grow bigger through mergers or acquisitions. Murdoch said he was comfortable with the company’s current size, and said he wasn’t interested in “empire building.”

“We don’t feel the urge to go acquire some other large piece,” said Murdoch.

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