Roger Ailes, creator of Fox News Channel, has renewed his contract with Rupert Murdoch's News Corp amid speculation whether the channel will adopt the newfound hospitable tone of the New York Post , another News Corp property, toward President-elect Barack Obama. Ailes on Thursday signed a new five-year contract keeping him in place as chairman and CEO of Fox News Channel and chairman of Fox Television Stations Group. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. While Fox News remains a potent force among cable networks, the stations group has been hit hard by the economic crisis as automotive and financial advertisers have drastically cut spending. Last June, after Obama had refused to appear on Fox News Channel, Murdoch, reportedly acting as mediator, brought Obama and Ailes together. When Obama asked whether he would get "a fair shake" from the news channel, Ailes reportedly replied, "Senator, you're the one who boycotted us. We're not the ones who boycotted you. Nor did we retaliate for your boycott." He later maintained that while the network's commentators would no doubt criticize his positions, "there are opinion shows and there are news shows." Obama subsequently made appearances on the channel.

21/11/2008