O'Reilly out at FOX!

[47of74]

Ugh.

money.cnn.com/2017/04/01/media/bill-oreilly-settlements/index.html

Quote

21st Century Fox is standing by top Fox News anchor Bill O'Reilly amid new revelations of financial settlements reportedly paid to women who complained about his behavior.

The New York Times reported Saturday that five women over a period of more than a decade received payouts from either O'Reilly, Fox News or parent company 21st Century Fox "in exchange for agreeing to not pursue litigation or speak about their accusations against him. The agreements totaled about $13 million."

Two of the five settlements were previously known, and involved sexual harassment allegations -- including a complaint from a producer that was settled for about $9 million according to the Times. The others were first revealed by The Times on Saturday, and include two sexual harassment claims and one related to verbal abuse.

Together, the Times report said, the claims suggested a pattern: "As an influential figure in the newsroom, Mr. O'Reilly would create a bond with some women by offering advice and promising to help them professionally. He then would pursue sexual relationships with them, causing some to fear that if they rebuffed him, their careers would stall."

 

[LadyCrow1313]

Not sure if anyone here listens to Howard Stern on Sirius, but he was just ranting about Butthole O'Really yesterday. It was funny.

Trust me; Howard's rant is funnier than my poor description would be, so I won't bore you with any details.  

[47of74]

On 4/4/2017 at 7:27 AM, LadyCrow1313 said:

Not sure if anyone here listens to Howard Stern on Sirius, but he was just ranting about Butthole O'Really yesterday. It was funny.

Trust me; Howard's rant is funnier than my poor description would be, so I won't bore you with any details.  

LOL.  Just about choked on dinner reading the words Butthole O'Really.  I think I have a new nickname for the Falafel/Loofah King now.

[47of74]

Some possibly good news about Butthole O'Really...

hollywoodreporter.com/news/fox-will-investigate-oreilly-harrassment-claims-attorney-says-992317

Quote

21st Century Fox will be opening an investigation into the Bill O'Reilly sexual harassment claims, according to attorney Lisa Bloom, who is representing one of the Fox News anchor's accusers.

Bloom appeared Sunday on CNN's Reliable Sources, where she told the network's Brian Stelter that on Friday she received a return phone call from Fox News attorneys after she and her client Wendy Walsh reported O'Reilly to the corporate hotline.

"I told them I really appreciate that and let's get going as soon as possible," said the attorney. "I'm told that they are taking it seriously, and they are going to do the investigation that's legally required of them."

 

 

[47of74]

With Butthole O'Really being on "vacation" his show's not doing as well.

usnews.com/news/business/articles/2017-04-18/viewership-of-oreilly-factor-drops-without-bill-oreilly

Quote

Through three days of Bill O'Reilly's vacation, his show's viewership declined by 26 percent in the hands of substitutes Dana Perino, Eric Bolling and Greg Gutfeld.

O'Reilly is on a nearly two-week vacation at the same time Fox News Channel's parent company looks into a woman's accusation that her career was slowed when she spurned his advances. Dozens of his show's advertisers have fled following reports of harassment settlements paid to other women. O'Reilly has denied any wrongdoing.

[Howl]

Bill O is a big cash cow.  If he stops making $$$ he'll be shipped off  to the slaughterhouse soon. 

[Howl]

From CNN, April 19, 2017: 3:09 PM ET

Quote

Bill O'Reilly is done at Fox News, its parent company 21st Century Fox said Wednesday.

"After a thorough and careful review of the allegations, the Company and Bill O'Reilly have agreed that Bill O'Reilly will not be returning to the Fox News Channel," the company said in a statement.

O'Reilly was notified Wednesday that his run at Fox News would be coming to an end, according to a source with knowledge of the proceedings.

This is a turn of events that was unthinkable even three weeks ago, and it is unknown how O'Reilly will respond to Fox's decision. His representatives have not yet commented.

In a letter to employees, Rupert Murdoch and his sons Lachlan and James, who run 21st Century Fox, said the decision "follows an extensive review done in collaboration with outside counsel."

Good riddance, Bill.  Don't let the door hit you on the ass on the way out. 

[VelociRapture]

6 minutes ago, Howl said:

From CNN, April 19, 2017: 3:09 PM ET

Good riddance, Bill.  Don't let the door hit you on the ass on the way out. 

Good. Homeboy is an epic asshole. 

[GreyhoundFan]

Good riddance to bad rubbish! One more creep out.

[Audrey2]

Would it be inappropriate to break out in the Hallelujah Chorus? 

[Penny]

Yipee! 

[47of74]

I saw too that Butthole O'Really is out at Faux News and was just coming here to comment on this.

Of course I had to go see what O'Really's "old buddy" Keith had to say about this news.

And here's the public statement they made on Butthole's long overdue departure;

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/04/19/business/media/document-Fox-Statement-on-Bill-O-Reilly.html

 

14 minutes ago, Audrey2 said:

Would it be inappropriate to break out in the Hallelujah Chorus? 

Not at all.  Also it's time to break these out too....

[fraurosena]

Wow.

And I'm not saying that because O'Reilly is out. I'm saying that because of that official statement by Fox posted by @47of74 (the NYT one). Just a short sentence saying he's out, and then a whole paragraph extolling themselves on how goody-good-good they are, and always have been. 

Wow.

[JMarie]

It will be interesting to see how this affects Sean Hannity's ratings, if viewers don't like whoever is chosen to replace O'Reilly and start watching another channel.

[47of74]

3 minutes ago, JMarie said:

It will be interesting to see how this affects Sean Hannity's ratings, if viewers don't like whoever is chosen to replace O'Reilly and start watching another channel.

Or if Butthole O'Really lands a job in the Agent Fornicate Face administration.  Hell given how he stuck up for O'Really earlier maybe he'll give O'Really a job.  Hopefully that's not the case and O'Really slithers away into retirement.

[JMarie]

14 minutes ago, 47of74 said:

Or if Butthole O'Really lands a job in the Agent Fornicate Face administration.  Hell given how he stuck up for O'Really earlier maybe he'll give O'Really a job.  Hopefully that's not the case and O'Really slithers away into retirement.

He'll still have those books he "writes". 

[47of74]

29 minutes ago, JMarie said:

He'll still have those books he "writes". 

Yeah, he's already killed Jesus, Patton, Lincoln, JFK, Reagan, and the Japanese Empire. 

[RosyDaisy]

Karma's a bitch, and Billy boy had this coming.

[47of74]

I saw this clip on Yahoo and Amanda Terkel was talking about the time Butthole's stalker producer harassed her at the behest of said Butthole.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/yahoo-news-now-191933606.html

Unfortunately Butthole's stalker producer hasn't been shown the door.

[JMarie]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4425684/Bill-O-Reilly-Fox-News.html

Quote

'Over the past 20 years at Fox News, I have been extremely proud to launch and lead one of the most successful news programs in history, which has consistently informed and entertained millions of Americans and significantly contributed to building Fox into the dominant news network in television,' O'Reilly said in the beginning of his statement.

'It is tremendously disheartening that we part ways due to completely unfounded claims. But that is the unfortunate reality many of us in the public eye must live with today.

Such a victim!

 

-------------------------

In case you're curious about what Fox News' lineup will look like

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/04/19/fox-news-channel-programming-changes.html

[infooverload]

Oh and his replacement will be the equally annoying Tucker Carlson. I heard this on my drive home from the gym earlier.

[infooverload]

Did anyone else have the thought dang it we won't get to see Jon Stewart celebrating his departure?

[Jug Band Baby]

And...HE'S FIRED!  https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/19/business/media/bill-oreilly-fox-news-allegations.html?_r=0

[fraurosena]

Does Fox even realize how ridiculously ironic and incongruous this really is? I mean... really?

Fox uses Trump's 'pussy grabbing tapes to teach employees about harassment'

Quote

Fox has reportedly been using Donald Trump’s infamous “pussy grabbing” audio recordings to teach people about harassment in the workplace.

A 21st Century Fox employee said there was an “audible gasp” in the room after the media company broadcast the president’s widely condemned Access Hollywood conversation with Billy Bush which was leaked last Autumn.

According to the employee, towards the end of a one-hour seminar last Tuesday, a photo appeared on the big screen which included President Trump, Bush, and actor Arianne Zucker from the 2005 Access Hollywood tape.[...]

According to the Hollywood Reporter, 21st Century Fox, a network which has been criticised for its overly favourable coverage of Mr Trump, has been using the leaked tapes in seminars for the past few months. The seminars are said to be led by a human resources executive with a focus on preventing harassment, discrimination and retaliation at work. 

"They went through the scenario of the tape, why it was harassment and why it's something you should report," the employee explained.  "There was an audible gasp in the room, like, 'Can you believe this is happening?' Trump was defended on Fox News after that tape came out.... Someone joked about getting fired for harassment and wondering if the defence could be, 'We were only told a behaviour was bad once in a seminar,' but Fox News said it was 'just locker room talk' over and over again." 

And to think this was done while Fox was simultaneously busy covering up Roger Ailes and Bill O'Reilly's sexual harrassments. 
 

[GreyhoundFan]

"Bill O’Reilly is out, but don’t get too excited"

Quote

Bill O’Reilly is finally out at Fox News. Hooray.

It’s not that I’m not pleased. After $13 million-worth of sexual harassment claims, it was clearly time for him to go. Except — not time. Far past time. It’s hard to gin up any sort of excitement for something so long overdue, done for such cynical reasons and in such a lackluster manner.

Let’s be clear: Fox News’s premiere conservative commentator appears to be a serial harasser, with offenses cropping up regularly throughout his career at the network. The first abuse settlement (that we know of) was paid out 15 years ago. The most recent accusation appeared one day before he was officially let go. From vibrator-themed phone calls to “grunting like a boar” to referring to an African American colleague as “hot chocolate,” his behavior was so ludicrous that it would seem over-the-top in a Looney Tunes cartoon, let alone in an actual office. His antics and those of former boss Roger Ailes resulted in Fox News losing some of its best-known talent, including Megyn Kelly and Gretchen Carlson. O’Reilly’s continued presence led to below-sea-level morale throughout the Fox universe.

Yet it still took a New York Times expose, visible protests outside of the network’s headquarters and the loss of more than 50 advertisers from O’Reilly’s show for Fox News to even consider taking him off the air. And when the network finally decided to give him the boot, it was announced as a careful, mutually-agreed-upon departure, on the back end of a pleasant Italian vacation. There’s no doubt that in days to come we’ll hear of a multimillion-dollar severance package.

Watching the absurdly protracted will-they-or-won’t-they debate play out over the past few weeks made it clear that it wasn’t morale or morals that mattered to Fox News. The decision was based on profit, plain and simple: If keeping on a serial harasser had seemed more lucrative than letting him go, they would have done so. Why should we congratulate the network on taking weeks to be forced into doing what it should have done years ago?

It would be nice to be able to view O’Reilly’s departure as some sort of victory for women, an indication that feminist values are gaining a foothold at a notoriously backward institution. Yet to me, it seems more incidental than anything else. The leg shots, tight dresses and regulation bottle-blondes are still in their places. With Tucker Carlson announced as O’Reilly’s replacement, another bombastic white male has taken over the slot.

With the O’Reilly debacle, Fox News tripped and took a single step into the 21st century. Good for them, I guess, but don’t expect any further congratulations.