Rupert Murdoch Appoints New Leaders at Fox News After Roger Ailes' Departure

— -- Just weeks after the departure of Roger Ailes, Rupert Murdoch has announced leadership changes at Fox News and its sister channel, Fox Business Network.

Effectively immediately, Murdoch, the executive chairman of 21st Century Fox, has appointed Jack Abernethy and Bill Shine as co-presidents of the two channels.

They will report directly to Murdoch, who will remain on as executive chairman of the networks.

Murdoch assumed the role of chairman and CEO of Fox News when Ailes resigned under pressure in wake of allegations of sexual misconduct.

Abernethy will assume the new responsibilities while retaining his current role as CEO of Fox Television Stations. As co-president, he will charged with overseeing "all business components" of the two channels, including finance, advertising sales and distribution

The other new co-president, Shine, who was the senior executive vice president of the company, will "run all programming and news functions of each network, including production, technical operations and talent management." Fox News also said that he would, "continue to oversee all strategic planning throughout the current election season, including election night."

Fox News also said that Suzanne Scott had been appointed to the position of executive vice president of programming and development for Fox News Channel, where she will report to Shine. She will be responsible for supervising the network's "daytime and primetime opinion shows and lead development of new programming."

Ailes' resignation came after former anchor Gretchen Carlson, a mainstay of the network for 11 years, left the company on June 23 and shortly afterward filed a lawsuit against Ailes.

In it, she alleged that Ailes had “sabotaged” her career after she “refused his sexual advances,” and that her job was terminated in retaliation for rebuffing him and complaining to him about sexual harassment.

Fox News and Ailes have denied Carlson's allegations in the past, calling it a "retaliatory suit for the network's decision not to renew her contract" because of "disappointingly low ratings."

Shortly before Ailes' resignation, New York magazine published a story citing unnamed sources who claimed that another Fox News host, Megyn Kelly, had “told investigators that Ailes made unwanted sexual advances towards her about [10] years ago.”

After that story's publication, a lawyer for Ailes, Susan Estrich, told ABC News that her client “never sexually harassed Megyn Kelly.”

Fox News also announced that Chief Financial Officer Mark Kranz would retire.

In a press release, Murdoch said of Kranz, "we are grateful for his many contributions to the company and we extend our best wishes to him as he embarks on a new chapter."