Happy Birthday FOX News Channel!

FOX News Channel turns 15 years old.

FOX News Radio’s Todd Starnes takes a look back at how it all started with FOX News Chairman-CEO Roger Ailes:

On October 7th 1996, the nation was introduced to ‘Fair and Balanced’ journalism.? But the beginning of FOX News was not all that glamorous.

“A basement full of mice and water, which became our newsroom.”

Roger Ailes, our Founder and CEO.

“Now it has desks, and monitors, and computers, and microphones and cameras.”

From those humble beginnings came FOX News Radio & Foxnews.com.? As viewers abandoned the mainstream media and began to embrace the concept of a network that reported the news and allowed the viewers to decide.

“I think we, we serve an important need in the country.”

The network embraced values like God, country, and family.? Creating a recipe for unprecedented success.

“The media likes to joke about ‘Fair and Balanced’.? But the American people take it quite seriously and so do we.? And I think that that has been the recipe for the most successful news organization in the history of the country.”

And today, the channel has more viewers than CNN and MSNBC combined.? Leading the Associated Press to name Mr. Ailes the ‘Most Powerful Man in the Universe’.

“Obviously, uh I’m not.? So, I’m not sure what Frazier Moore.? He’s a very good reporter.? The reason he did that story is he was here on day one when we launched FOX News.? And of course he saw everybody laughing at us and telling us it couldn’t be done.? So he came back 15 years later and decided that having pulled off the feat of making FOX News successful that I was somewhat powerful, but Time Magazine had Bill O’Reilly at the second ‘Most Powerful Man in the Country’ recently, so I underlined my piece and said I was the ‘Most Powerful in the Universe’ and I slid it under his door this morning.? So, I just want to drive him nuts with it.? But, none of it’s true.? It’s an exaggeration of course.? But I think that what’s been accomplished by FOX News in 15 years is a tribute to the people who made it happen and it was really, you know we have a couple thousand people doing FOX News, and if they weren’t good, this wouldn’t have happened.”

In New York, Todd Starnes, FOX News Radio.