The Rise of Fox News | Plus: CNN’s Tom Johnson on His Friendship With Roger Ailes

We interviewed dozens of people for this season of Slow Burn, but none are quite like Tom Johnson. During the 1990s, Johnson was the president of Fox’s archrival, CNN. In this extended conversation made available exclusively to Slate Plus members, he tells host Josh Levin about the moments when he witnessed history—and sometimes participated in it. Plus, Johnson analyzes his controversial friendship with the man he calls “a fierce competitor,” the late Fox News chairman and CEO Roger Ailes. This episode is member-exclusive. Listen to it now by subscribing to Slate Plus. By joining, not only will you unlock exclusive Slow Burn episodes, but you’ll also access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now by clicking “Try Free” at the top of the Slow Burn show page on Apple Podcasts. Or, visit slate.com/slowburnplus to get access wherever you listen. Season 10 of Slow Burn was written and reported by Josh Levin. It was executive produced by Lizzie Jacobs. This episode was produced by Jacob Fenston. Slow Burn is produced by Sophie Summergrad, Joel Meyer, and Rosie Belson with help from Patrick Fort, Jacob Fenston, and Julia Russo. Derek John is Slate’s executive producer of narrative podcasts. This season was edited by Susan Matthews and Hillary Frey. Merritt Jacob is our senior technical director. Our theme music was composed by Alexis Cuadrado. Derreck Johnson created the artwork for this season.