Fox News’ Roger Ailes to Continue to Report to Rupert Murdoch

In the wake of news that Rupert Murdoch plans to step down from his role as 21st Century Fox CEO, ceding the job to son and current co-COO James Murdoch, it appears that the older Murdoch’s involvement in Fox News Channel isn’t changing.

Covering the story on Thursday morning, Fox Business Network announced that Fox News chairman and CEO and Fox Television Stations Group chairman Roger Ailes will continue to report directly to Rupert Murdoch and run the top-rated cable news network.

Ailes and the older Murdoch have long had a close relationship, founding the network in 1996 and making it the dominant force in cable news. “If he’s in town, the door may open and he’ll walk in and plop down. He just hangs out for an hour, wrecks my schedule,” Ailes recently said of their working relationship in a THR cover story. “He likes Fox News, so I don’t have a lot of business discussions with him.”

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Murdoch’s sons, James and Lachlan, are known to have differing political views from their conservative father — and Ailes‘ relationship with the pair is said to be less close. He characterized them as “smart” and “capable,” adding “I don’t know them very well. I don’t interact with them on a daily or even weekly basis.”

Ailes‘ current contract is up for renewal in 14 months, just a few months shy of the 2016 election. When recently asked if he’d sign an extension, the 75-year-old replied, “They haven’t asked me to.”