The end is near for Roger Ailes

Fox News boss Roger Ailes is negotiating his exit from the cable outfit after 20 years in the news business.

Ailes’ stunning departure from the No. 1 cable news outfit he created and built into a $3 billion business comes after the 76-year-old chairman and chief executive was hit with a sexual harassment suit by former anchor Gretchen Carlson less than two weeks ago.

Ailes has strongly denied the accusation.

While most Fox News Channel female staffers lined up to support Ailes, one didn’t: Megyn Kelly.

Kelly, a prime-time anchor, remained silent. However, on Monday, in the midst of a Fox News internal probe, a report surfaced that Kelly had told lawyers conducting the probe that Ailes had sexually harassed her, too.

Several news outlets reported Tuesday afternoon that negotiations were under way between Ailes and Fox that were likely to lead to Ailes’ ouster.

Ailes’ exit could bring more chaos to Fox News.

Several of the network’s biggest stars — Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity and Greta Van Susteren — have clauses in their contracts that would allow them to leave if Ailes leaves.Fox News owner 21st Century Fox maintained that, “Roger is at work. The review is ongoing. And the only agreement that is in place is his existing employment agreement.”

The company did not address any negotiations. Fox News referred all calls to its parent.

Susan Estrich, a lawyer for Ailes, said in interviews, “There’s lots of cross talk, but no agreement has been reached … Rupert comes to town next week — for now there’s no deal in place and no terms have been agreed to.”

While the terms or certainty of an Ailes exit may not yet have been reached — or may not be reached.

It would also contain a consulting contract through 2017, Drudge reported.

Ailes would be indemnified against any claims against him or the company, according to a purported separation agreement, dated July 22, that was posted on Drudge. It was quickly taken down.

Estrich told multiple media outlets on Tuesday that “Roger Ailes has never sexually harassed Megyn Kelly. In fact, he has spent much of the last decade promoting and helping her to achieve the stardom she earned, for which she has repeatedly and publicly thanked him.”

Ailes created Fox News in 1996 and the channel initially had to pay to win carriage on cable systems. Within four years, though, Ailes’ hard work had transformed it into the No. 1 cable network.

This year, aided by strong interest in the election, Fox News reported a 37 percent spike in prime-time ratings in the key advertiser demographic of 25- to 54-year-olds.

Gross advertising revenue for 2016 at Fox News is pegged at $1 billion, according to SNL Kagan, which forecasts Fox News will bag some $1.5 billion in revenue from affiliate fees paid by distributors. Overall net operating revenue will be $2.5 billion in 2016.

The cable network programming unit, of which Fox News is part, contributed segment operating income — before depreciation and amortization — of $4.64 billion for the year ended June 2015.

21st Century Fox, which shares common ownership with News Corp., parent of The Post, will report fourth-quarter and full fiscal-year results on Aug. 3.

With Ailes headed to the exits, media circles were abuzz with the names of possible successors. That short list includes: CBS News President David Rhodes, Fox News executive Bill Shine, who is viewed as the strongest internal candidate, and Jay Wallace, the Fox News executive vice president of news and editorial.


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