Fox News Celebrates 10 Years at No. 1!

Fox News on top: Cable net celebrates 10 years at #1 in ratings

By Dylan Stableford | The Cutline

Last fall, Fox News celebrated its 15th anniversary with a lavish party in New York. Fox News president Roger Ailes, who launched the channel in 1996, toasted 700 or so staffers that night, telling them, "Losing is highly overrated as a learning experience."

On Tuesday afternoon, when Nielsen releases its final ratings for the month of January, the "fair and balanced" network will mark an arguably more important milestone: 10 consecutive years at the top of the cable news rankings.

Yahoo News recently spoke will Bill Shine, Fox News Channel's EVP of programming, about the significance of the achievement, the state of cable news, and how the cable network has managed to sustain its pole position while defending Fox from its fervent critics, including Jon Stewart.

Yahoo News: So, are you going to frame the Nielsen report?

Shine: No, no. We don't do a lot of that around here. We may pat each other on the back, but the news goes on. We'll keep it rolling.

What's been the key to maintaining your no. 1 position in cable news?

A couple of things. Roger's leadership. He had the idea, he launched the network, he hired the talent. So it's been Roger, Roger's vision. Over the years we've gained the trust of the American people. And Roger picked good people, not just on-air, but the producers and everyone behind the scenes who have contributed to our success.