Ailes Hired Palin 'Because She Was Hot'

Roger Ailes may not be a nice guy, but at least he’s honest. Reflecting on his 15-year career at the helm of the Fox News Channel, Ailes revealed that he hired Sarah Palin “because she was hot and got ratings.” But as he recently told Newsweek, she eventually became a “branding issue.” He also thinks Fox’s success is owed more to its television talent—hiring people because they’re hot and get ratings—than their political agendas. “I think we do better television than the other guys, and no matter how we do it, they don't seem to catch up,” he said. “We seem to out-invent them and think ahead of them, and have better story ideas, better graphics, better on-air talent. We just are better television producers.”