Having experienced success with his Fox Broadcasting Company, Murdoch sought to expand his presence in the American television market. After an attempt to purchase the 24-hour cable news network CNN failed, Murdoch endeavoured to create his own cable news channel. He enlisted television producer and former Republican political consultant Roger Ailes to oversee the new network, and Ailes’s business acumen and political leanings became closely associated with its eventual success. The initial hurdle for the fledgling cable network was to obtain “carriage” (distribution) on the numerous local and regional cable systems. It was routine for cable companies to pay networks such as HBO or MTV for the right to broadcast their content, but Murdoch reversed the equation, paying cable providers to carry Fox News. As a result, when the network first took to the airwaves on October 7, 1996, it was viewable in more than 17 million homes.
