Fox Tv Stations Inc

Roger Ailes, the savvy and hard-charging television executive who transformed the Fox News Channel from an upstart enterprise to the top-rated cable news network, sealed a deal Wednesday to remain in his post for another five years. Ailes' new contract extends the key role he plays in News Corp. as chief executive of Fox News and chairman of the Fox Television Stations. "Roger has done a remarkable job building Fox News into a force in journalism," News Corp.

Fox President of Entertainment Peter Liguori isn't in a big hurry to offer episodes of "24" or "Family Guy" on your iPod. In this new age, when people seem to be watching TV everywhere but on their television sets, patience is a virtue, Liguori told a gathering of television critics at the Ritz-Carlton Huntington Hotel in Pasadena on Tuesday.

News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch on Monday handed control of the company's 35 television stations to Roger Ailes, the executive who in nine years built the Fox News Channel into a politically influential ratings juggernaut. Ailes, 65, replaces the media baron's 33-year-old son, Lachlan Murdoch, who abruptly resigned his management positions within the company last month amid reported tensions with his father.

Fox got its new Sunday lineup off to a decent start last week, even if the debut of "The War at Home" failed to dazzle. "The War at Home," a family comedy with Michael Rapaport and Anita Barone as harried parents, averaged 8.7 million viewers, settling for a distant second behind a repeat of CBS' "Cold Case" (10.1 million), according to preliminary figures from Nielsen Media Research.

Sharri Berg, head of news operations for Fox News, was promoted Monday to an additional post at the Fox Television Stations Group, where she will act as senior vice president of news operations. The move reflects the growing influence on the station group of Roger Ailes, the Fox News chief who became chairman of the 35 Fox-owned stations in August. Ailes replaced Lachlan Murdoch, son of News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch, who resigned his management positions with the firm.

Thanks to the Fox network, some letters to Santa Claus are sure to be answered this year. "Dear Santa," a special in which some of the wishes expressed in letters to Santa Claus are granted for a television audience, will air Dec. 9, Fox and the U.S. Postal Service announced Monday. Compelling letters received by the postal service from children and families asking for Santa's help will be selected for the program.

The Fox TV network apologized Thursday after sending out a press release for a new unscripted series in which two straight men compete for $50,000 by trying to convince family and friends that they are homosexual. But no, the apology was not for the show itself -- which is real and will air June 7 -- but for some of the language used to describe "Seriously, Dude, I'm Gay." The release described the premise of the show as "a heterosexual male's worst nightmare: turning gay overnight."

It's NASCAR weekend in the city of sin and sunburned drunken loudmouths are pouring into the lobby of the Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino after a long day at the track. At the same time, limousines and town cars serve up tuxedo-clad high rollers and their dolled-up trophy dates, who follow statuesque showgirls to a flashy fundraiser and once-in-a-lifetime concert by Jewel and Tony Bennett. "Come on, baby, give me a smile!"

Gail Berman is about to find out if stiff-lipped nannies and a flamboyant billionaire can keep TV viewers engaged until the "American Idol" kids come back in January. The Fox entertainment president has loaded up the network's schedule with reality programming in coming weeks; with nine of its 15 prime-time hours devoted to returning and new unscripted shows such as "Nanny 911," that's believed to be the highest proportion of such fare ever offered by a major broadcast network.