At Fox, the goal for the comedy team this development cycle is crystal clear. “We need to find the next huge breakout comedy hit. It was as simple as that,” says Susan Levison, Fox senior vp comedy.

The media mogul had always been a builder and a buyer — often leveraging one asset to buy or build another — and 2007's launch of Fox Business was, perhaps, the height of his power. By Alex Weprin ...