Bill Shine is not the first to go from Fox News and there's a decent shot he won't be the last either. He is the most recent, though. According to the network, the top level executive resigned from his post on Monday. The possibility exists that, with all of the scandals and mayhem unfolding at the network, he was actually forced out. Either way, it portends more misery at a station that was once seen as something other than a lawsuit waiting to happen.
Another company departure
Shine left the company after more than two decades, working for Fox since the network's beginnings in 1996.
When Roger Ailes was forced out during his own sexual harassment scandal last year, Shine took over as the co-president of Fox News. At least four lawsuits filed have named him in their complaints, though. He himself has not been accused publicly of any untoward activity, but he has been accused of covering up the untoward activity of others.
In a statement from executive chairman Rupert Murdoch, Shine was cited for his leadership and resonance in the proliferation of Fox News. Murdoch even called it a "significant day." What's even more significant is how thoroughly the company has been gutted by sexual abuse/harassment scandals. Shine is out at the company, Ailes was forced out at the company, and most recognizably, Bill O'Reilly was forced to go after allegations arose that he paid to make his own allegations disappear.
Scrutinized network
The writing was on the wall for Shine long before his departure from Fox News materialized. He received an endorsement from one of his own hosts, Sean Hannity, who claimed the network would be toast without their co-president. After the resignation, Hannity refused to comment, but it seems unlikely that he'll follow through on his words and quit the network.
Meanwhile, the beat must somehow continue to go on for Fox News. Fellow co-president Jack Abernathy is not going anywhere, according to Murdoch. Executive vice president Suzanne Scott will become the president of programming and take some of the job responsibilities Shine once had. Jay Wallace will become the president of news and take other vacant responsibilities.
The problem with that? Both Scott and Wallace have also been with the company since it was created. Even though the company seems to be removing some of the controversial figures, they are replacing them with people who operate under the same principles.
