O'Reilly OUT at Fox.

Gabriel Sherman interviewed by phone today on MSNBC. Some highlights:

This is a fast moving story.

Murdoch family is engaged in severence talks with O'Reilly.

Rupert Murdoch resisted firing O'Reilly as a profit center for the network.

Rupert's son James Murdoch pushed hard for O'Reilly to go.

His other son, Lochlan Murdoch, was the tipping point, changing his mind recently and going against O'Reilly.

Another tipping poinnt is that other Murdoch-owned companies spoke out and said they wouldn't tolerate O'Reilly's harassment at their companies and thought Fox News was getting special treatment.

O'Reilly is the ratings lynchpin of Fox's Prime Time lineup.

This is a big decision because of O'Reilly's relationship with his audience. Roger Ailes, who was let go last year under similar circumstances, had no on-air fan base, which is of high concern to Rupert Murdoch.

And then there's the Sky merger, which Sherman reported on earlier:

Insiders at Fox News worry the scandal could threaten to derail Murdoch’s $14 billion bid to acquire all of the European pay-TV service Sky. It’s happened before: Murdoch’s previous bid to acquire Sky was scuttled by the London phone-hacking scandal. At Fox News, there is talk that the post-Ailes scandals are giving new ammunition to critics who oppose the takeover. “O’Reilly will be gone if Murdoch thinks it will help the Sky merger get approved,” an insider said.

Yeah I don't think Rupert Murdoch gives a rat's butt about how women are treated at any of his properties. That's clear from Fox News paying off five women (FIVE.) who complained about O'Reilly's behavior. O'Reilly could continue knowing his victims would be paid off by the boss. Any woman who continues to sit on the Fox News Crotch Couch does so knowing the higher ups care more about a merger than they do about sexual harassment.

But of course they knew that already.

UPDATE: BillO is sad, but will remain strong. His statement below.