Newscorp was built on newspapers, but is that foundation slowly crumbling under Rupert Murdoch's empire?

BY LIZ Has News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch fired his last shot in pinpointing whats eating the newspaper industry, an industry in which he is heavily invested? At a cable industry confab in Washington, D.C., Thursday the media mogul turned his barrel on web giant Google, and accused them of stealing newspaper content, selling ads against it and making a killing. But is Murdoch's anger because of this, or is he angry because he and other slow moving media execs didn't think up their own new distribution channels for their newspaper's content. He sounds more like a whining child who is upset that he didn't come up with the good idea first. Murdoch's complaint, according to some may be an effort to try and bring Google to the negotiation table so he can be paid for use of his newspaper's content. But would Google be forced into doing such a thing? If not, would Murdoch be able to rally his fellow newspaper publishers to form an alliance against Google? We don't think so. Newspapers publishers aren't in any position to play hard ball. They need all the help they can get at this point. And with Google's reported 300 million + clicks a month to newspaper websites, Murdoch and otheR publishers are better off trying to use that as a foundation to turn things around if they can. Murdoch's heavy investment in the dinosaur newspaper business may very well be taking it's toll on the man who allegedly owns the news. It is said that one of the last straws for outgoing President and Chief Operating Officer Peter Chernin was when Murdoch took over DowJones. Peter probably saw the take over as a step back in a time when companies should be investing in digital distributing of content.

Rupert Murdoch toyed with changing Newscorp's name

BY THE SHOGUN In the book "The Man Who Owns The News" Rupert Murdoch seemed to have been going through some late life crisis when he toyed with changing the name of his media empire after the DowJones takeover, to something that "Could better indicate his and Newscorp's philosophical reason for being". But apparently after running the idea by some of his underlings he decided to stick with the mighty Newscorp brand. The man even had mock ads that he was planning to run in The New York Times. Exactly what names Murdoch was throwing aroung in that head of his isn't known but we're sure it wouldn't have had that sound of power like NewsCorp. And why would you want to change the name of your company which you named after your first paper "The News"?

Fox News' Greta Van Susteren dreams of running an internet news site one day

BY THE SHOGUN Even people who already have their dream jobs have other dream jobs. Take for example Fox News's Greta Greta Van Susteren. She recently posted on her Gretawire blog that she sometimes fantasizes about running an internet news site but made sure to make it clear that she loves her job, you know just in case Fox News tubby, Roger Ales and News Corp God Rupert Murdoch reads too much into her fantasy. I love my job but from time to time think about the future (I can be a dreamer)….what is next? what would be fun for me? Every day I have a different idea of what is next (and let me repeat, I do love my job), but if I had to pick today I would love to run an internet news site. I read the news all the time on the internet and I have some ideas of what I would do differently with some news sites…and I have had success developing GretaWire with you…so I have a history of working with the web Hmmm. Is Greta throwing it out there hoping for interested parties to response? Is she looking to follow the footsteps of others like former American Media Editorial Director Bonnie Fuller and Tina Brown? We would suggest that she launches her own site with some help from her bossman Rupert Murdoch but, Greta probably doesn't want to deal with the whole building from the ground up thing. And the last thing we need is another news site right?

Big Media Aggregated: Disney and News Corp goes shopping

By SDH Disney Interactive Studios (DIS) the game arm of the media and entertainment giant has reportedly agreed to purchase Chinese company Gamestar. DIS general manager Graham Hopper feels good about the deal saying Gamestar will play a significant roll in DIS’s global growth plan. Wonder if Gamestar’s 90 staff members fit into that growth plan? In other shopping news, News Corp’s Fox Networks, the company’s year-old online advertising network will announce today that it has bought control of European video ad network Utarget as part of a move to expand in Europe and Asia. Wendi Deng Murdoch, wife of Rupert is probably the mind behind this strategic swallowing. The Utarget deal comes after U.S.-based Fox Interactive Media (FIM) reorganized staff last week in anticipation of a possible revenue target shortfall. The reshuffling, long in the works, will also see the launch of FIM's long-anticipated U.S. online advertising network, called the FIM Audience Network.

Lachlan Murdoch's quest to buy Consolidated Media Holdings, dead in the womb

By SDH Lachlan Murdoch's comeback has just hit a second road block. When the deal was announced, it included Murdoch, and fellow media man James Packer who agreed along with Murdoch to go 50-50 on the deal. But then the deal’s private equity backer SPO Partners got cold feet and backed out of the deal leaving Lachlan and his buddy James scrambling for another deep pocketed private equity group which they did find in Providence Equity Partners. Well now the deal has reportedly fell apart again over price and because now James Packer only wants a 25% stake in the deal, leaving poor Lachlan with the task of trying to convince his backers to take a bigger chunk. So it looks like all has failed and Lachlan Murdoch is moving on announcing in a letter released by the Australian Securities Exchange today, that the consortium was abandoning the planned acquisition of a 75% stake in Consolidated Media Holdings. Why didn't Lachlan just give his daddy Rupert a call and said “dad, I really need this deal to happen” We think Rupe would have come to his sons rescue right away.

Rupert Murdoch is taking his campaign to win Long Island's Newsday public

By SDH For the first time since it was reported that he was interested in Tribune's Newsday newspaper, News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch, the most powerful man in media said publicly he thinks Newsday would be a good fit for his tabloidy New York Post. We're not sure how that would go over with Newsday staffers if Murdoch were to land the paper, but we're guessing there would be a lot of bickering on both sides. Exactly how, The New York Post would benefit isn't clear but a Newsday/New York Post link up would allow Murdoch to spread the dishy celeb and business headlines out on the Island. Wait, we just answered the question on how the Post would benefit. After his recent address at Georgetown University in Washington, Murdoch said adding Newsday "will make the New York Post viable and give it a much more secure future". So is Murdoch implying that currently the future of the New York Post isn’t too secure? Is he saying that if a deal like this doesn't happen, we could see the New York Post sold off or come to an end? Such statements can set off an avalanche of speculations. Wonder when Jared "Paperboy" Kushner is going to make his interest in Newsday public?

Elisabeth Murdoch believes in Barack Obama

By SDH Elisabeth (Liz) Murdoch is letting knows who she wants to be the next President of the great U.S. of A and she is throwing a fund raiser all the way across the Atlantic to help to make sure it happens. Not following in daddy Rupert Murdoch's footsteps when it comes to politics, Elisabeth is throwing a snazzy fundraiser for Barack Obama while Rupe donated $2,300 to Hillary Clinton's campaign fund last year. Will Daddy and daughter go head to head with their picks? Then again maybe Liz isn't worried about that at all as many believe the race for the Democratic nomination is already over. In the most high-profile example yet of glitzy fundraising bashes for the US presidential hopefuls spreading across the Atlantic, a string of notable US ex-pats with jobs in media, the arts and finance will gather at the Notting Hill home Murdoch shares with her husband, PR guru Matthew Freud. Murdoch's daughter hosts fundraiser for Obama [Media Guardian]

Newspapers Aggregated: Has young paperboy Jared Kushner joined the pack of vultures reportedly circling Long Island's Newsday?

By SDH The list of potential bidders for Tribune's Newsday is getting longer. Early out it was reported that Rupert Murdoch who seems to want to buy everything was interested in the paper, along with other prominent New York money bags like Cablevisions Chuck Dolan and New York Daily News owner Mort Zuckerman. Now comes word that New York Observer ruler Jared Kushner may have little tingle for the Newsday as well. Tribune is said to be looking for payout in the $500 million region for the paper but there is no word that the company has started to take bids. In other newspaper news, The Wall Street Journal recently swallowed by News Corp, will go on sale in London taking on other business papers like Pearson's Financial Times. The Journal, with an initial print run of around 3,500 copies, will cost 250 pence, well above the 150 pence Financial Times cover price, but not out of line with the price of other non-UK papers sold in Britain. Yeah, like we didn't see this one coming. How long until an Australian version is born?

Jeff Bewkes is a green CEO + The Wall Street Journal changing one section at a time and more.....

By SDH Jeff Bewkes was already making CEO money before becoming CEO of Time Warner. He made a sexy $19.4 million in 2007 [AP] For those of you who care, Emmis Communications is unloading Country Sampler magazine. Something about it not fitting with the current image or something like that. [FolioMag] Another Murdoch looks to make a mark in the media business. Elisabeth Murdoch’s company, Shine bought Reveille Productions, which produces “Ugly Betty,” and “The Office.” She may have already bought her mark. [NYT] The Wall Street Journal is revamping it’s “Market Place” section and this has some newsroom employees wondering what their roll will be [NYT] Fox Newser Chris Wallace calls out colleagues who he says Took Obama’s comments about race out of context. OK so how long until Wallace is booted? Doesn’t he know that Fox News is dedicated to pushing the republican agenda? [Media Talk]

Is Rupert Murdoch Wendi Whipped?

By SDH With all his power and billions of dollars, one would think Rupert Murdoch can't be dominated. One would think he would have someone, especially his wife wrapped around his finger. Nope! According to GQ Magazine's "Most Whipped List", Rupert Murdoch is one of the most henpecked husbands on the planet. The list also includes former Time Warner boss Geri Levin. But GQ failed to include other whippees like Les Moonves, Sumner Redstone and Bob Iger. Wendi Deng was just another twentysomething MBA (and thirty-eight years his junior) when she netted the Aussie billionaire master of the universe, whom she seems to enjoy belittling in public. According to New York magazine, she's said to have revealed that he uses Viagra (but doesn't need it) and once asked him in front of colleagues, "Are you going deaf, old man?" In January, Deng got her mighty mogul to play waiter at a women's-empowerment event in Davos, Switzerland, much to the amusement of Murdoch watchers the world over. Then again, waiting on Deng has helped Murdoch gain access to the multibillion-dollar Chinese-media market, so who's using whom? Under the guidance of his new-wife-cum-guru, Laurie Perlman, the former CEO of Time Warner has remade himself into a New Age–spa keeper. He once described a drum circle at the couple’s Moonview Sanctuary as “a ritual, archetypal setting to get at the most fundamental questions of life.… Instead of a male hierarchy, it becomes almost feminine in its openness.” But hey, if you’d orchestrated one of the most disastrous mergers in business history, you’d seek inner peace, too.

Rupert Murdoch beefing up Dow Jones

BY SDH Dow Jones has long been a blip in comparison to other financial media companies like Thomson Bloomberg and Reuters, and now that both Thomson and Reuters are awaiting word on their pending join up, Dow Jones will end up being an even smaller blip. But New Dow Jones ruler Rupert Murdoch is working to make sure his little blip is still visible and has a voice to compete with the big boys. King Rupe's News Corp in an effort to bulk up Dow Jones' financial news coverage overseas, has purchased Betten Financial News and Dow Jones enterprise media group President Clare Hart spits the usual on why! We're dedicated to increasing our coverage of local markets in local languages, and this acquisition helps us to better serve the needs of our European customers," Dow Jones buys Betten Financial News [Reuters]

Is The New York Times Company slowly on its way to being taken over? The Ochs-Sulzberger family could be in for the fight of their media lives

BY SDH I am sure many have thought about it, many have even put word out, but at the end of the day, none have made a serious run at it. What am I talking about? Well the tightly held New York Times Co of course. If the majority owners aren't even willing to think about a sale, then any attempt to make an offer may be useless, unless you can go deep down in your pockets and the pockets of friends and come back up with a sum, the controlling Ochs-Sulzberger family can't refuse. See the key to break kung fu grips like these, is to make an offer that will spark in-fighting and somewhat destabilize the formation. Rupert Murdoch did this and won Dow Jones. Microsoft is trying the same thing with Yahoo! I love families like the Ochs-Sulzberger family, the Bancrofts and the Mohns who control German media giant Bertelsmann. They put out this image that says, "we cannot be bought". Well we all know the Bancrofts can be bought, but what about these other controlling families who keep their hands in the day to day of their companies? Some shareholders have been fighting the Ochs-Sulzberger family to loosen their grip on the company but the family never budges. Now hedge fund Harbinger Capital Partners has upped its stake in the company from 12 percent to about 19 percent and is fighting to get four board seats. The investment firm says it isn’t pleased with what they basically call ass dragging on the digital front by New York Times brass. Is this the prelude to an even bolder move? With four board seats, Harbinger will have a loud voice next to the Ochs-Sulzberger’s. Maybe it is time for a new time at the New York Times but what will it take for this to happen? My guess on what the Sulzberger family's anwswer would be.... "A Cold Day In Hell"

And now this morning's worth mentioning media business news...

Time Warner Spent $3.6 Million trying to get congress to lean their way We're sure big companies like Time Warner have budgets specifically set up for lobbying. In 2007 Time Warner spent $3.6 million lobbying on television, satellite and broadband-related legislation. Reed Elsevier running from ad recession? Reed Elsevier is unloading its Business Information unit in what some see as a bail out of dealing with an ad recession. The company is trading up publishing business information titles for ChoicePoint, a risk management information provider. Yawn! UK Newspapers enjoying spike in web traffic due to U.S. based stories The US presidential elections, the death of Heath Ledger and Britney Spears' ongoing problems produced record traffic for the UK's newspaper websites during January. Now imagine what would happen if Britney gets pregnant for one of her creepy male hanger-ons. BSkyB will not give in without a fight Rupert Murdoch's BSkyB announced that it will fight to the death against a ruling ordering it to sell the majority of its 17.9% stake in ITV.

Afternoon Wire....

-BY SDH MTV is returning to its roots in an effort to take on Yahoo Music and Myspace. But isn't Yahoo Music being killed? [JR] Do we really need another online video site? Actor Damon Wayans, hurting for a hit movie is putting on his entrepreneurial hat with the soon to be launched wayouttv.com. Hopefully it wont end up like Revver.com [LAT] Vanity Fair's Mike Wolfe tells us something we all already know [VF] What's with Viacom and video game's? There is a little rumor that they are eying yet another video game publisher, Take-Two Interactive which is currently ran by former BMG Music boss Strauss "In the house" Zelnick [GI] Awww! Rupert Murdoch will attend his mother's 99th birthday. Ok so we are adding to the total fucking question as to why is this news? Of course he is. Happy B-Day Mrs. Murdoch! [AP] Rush & Malloy confuses rap mogul Jay-z with that skinny white kid Aaron Carter? They have got to be kidding! And what's with the corny headline? A weak attempt at being cool? [NYDN]

And now this morning's worthy media business news...

New York Times: With the New York Post's endorsment of Barack Obama, does this really splitsville for Rupert Murdoch and Hillary Clinton? Their newfound friendship seemingly came to a crashing end last Thursday. There was the headline on the front page of The Post, right next to “Cop Sex Ring,” for all to see: “Post Endorses Obama.” New York Post: Is anyone surprised that Google has injected itself into the whole Yahoo! Microsoft flirting? In a terse broadside of what could be a protracted war, Google's chief legal officer, David Drummond, hammered on concerns about Microsoft's software monopoly and its history of clashing with regulators over antitrust issues. AP: News Corp not interested in Yahoo! and today is earnings report day Apparently people were speculating that News Corp which is still digesting it's acquisition of Dow Jones would be interested in Yahoo! We're sure Rupe and his team looked at the company from a far but we don't see Rupert Murdoch dropping that much cash on anything right now. And besides, Microsoft is offering $44 Billion, way more than Yahoo! is worth right now and word is they are balking at the offer price saying it is too low.

Next week is Super Tuesday earnings report week

-SDH Next week's entertainment line up is looking to be an exciting one. On Monday, News Corp will report its 2nd Quarter Fiscal 2008 results. On this call analysts will be waiting to hear about any plans in the works for the recently acquired Dow Jones as well why they decided to not free up the Wall Street Journal website, DUH! On Tuesday it will be Disney's turn to spill the beans about their First Quarter 2008 Financials. Disney is expected to announce earnings of 52 cents a share on $10 billion in revenue, not too bad Bobby! Can we get some acquisition news soon though? Saving the best for last, Jeff Bewkes will make his debut on Time Warner's earnings call as CEO on Wednesday. We have no doubts analysts are itching for this one. Some of the questions Bewkes and his team are expected to face will include, what are his plans for the oversized company, AOL, Time Inc etc... Oh yeah they are expected to report earnings of 29 cents a share on revenue of $12.6 billion. But we all know analysts will be more concerned about Bewkes's plans for the structure of the company. Media conglomerates seen posting higher profits [MarketWatch]

SkyONE to build mega arena to accommodate its new version of Gladiators being produced by Rupe's daughter Elisabeth

-SDH Talk about big budgets. UK television giant SkyOne which is controlled by media king Rupert Murdoch is about to drop major cash to build what they say will be one of the biggest television studios in the UK to house their new version of Gladiators. Sky adds to the current rise in the resurrection trend, where television networks dig into their archives to revive hit television shows. The new version will be produced by Shine, a production company owned by Rupert Murdoch's daughter Elisabeth Murdoch. Sky said Gladiators' games would be "reinvented for the 21st century with bigger thrills and maximum impact using special effects, water skills and the latest technology".The new lineup of 12 gladiators to replace those such as Wolf and Hunter from the original show will be unveiled in March, with a nationwide search currently underway to recruit them. Sky to create giant arena for Gladiators [MG]

Media exec that almost drowned Rupert Murdoch's dog and talked a man into stripping during a News Corp meeting, rolls out his second act

-SDH Either Rupert Murdoch has no sense of humor, or Stephen Chao -AKA- Mad Chao was just a waaay out there News Corp exec who knew no boundaries. Stephan Chao with his antics back in 1992 which got him fired would be a breath of fresh air to many companies today. He would probably add some color and character to young media companies. But almost drowning Rupert Murdoch's dog, that's just a little over the line for us. Anyway Chao after a long hiatus is back with a new website which he hopes to build into an educational alternative to YouTube. Now Chao can do all the showboating he wants, especially if the site is a hit. Wouldn't it be funny if Rupert Murdoch ends up investing in Wonderhowto.com? The site, WonderHowTo.com, aggregates how-to videos, from the mundane (like “how to tie a tie” and “how to market your lawn care business in the winter”) to the strange (“how to do Criss Angel’s vanishing toothpick trick”) and the off-color (“how to train your cat to use the toilet” and beyond). TV Showman, Once Exiled, Returns With Video Site [NYT]

Rupert Murdoch wants the Wall Street Journal a little closer to him

-SDH The Observer is reporting that Rupert Murdoch may be moving some Wall Street Journal staff out of the financial district and sticking them in midtown in the News Corp building. Of course the people moving to the News Corp building would be on the editorial side so that Rupe can keep a close eye and/or hand on things. If such a move does take place, isn't Rupert just adding fuel to allegations that he moonlights as the Editor in Chief of is newspapers? One senior newsroom source with knowledge of the situation said that the move was "very likely" and it's something that Mr. Murdoch has been "strongly considering" for some time. Another source confirmed it should happen by the end of the year. More....

The Sun's Wapping days in pictures

The Sun printed it's last issue on January 25th at Rupert Murdoch's printing plant,Wapping in east London. The plant, which aimed to take advantage of new printing technology, soon became known as 'Fortress Wapping' because of its forbidding appearance and tight security . Media Guardian takes us back to the early years via pictures

And now this morning's worthy media business news...

We totally forgot that Vivendi even existed. After dropping the Universal from the corporate name we pretty much forgot about them. Anyway they are trying to invade Bertelsmann's turf by trying to land a stake in Germany's largest pay-tv broadcaster Premiere. [Reuters] The bids are in for U.S. government owned airwaves. So far the FCC has received $2.78 billion in bids. Companies that are expected to be in on the bids include AT&T and Google. [Reuters] Don Imus in hot water again [AP] We knew Rupert Murdoch couldn't say no to money. Why kill something that has been generating revenue for years. Or is this Rupe's way of showing he won't have a hand in the WSJ [NYT] Interview Magazine, Interviewed and hired [NYT]

Rupert Murdoch wears many hats at News Corp, he is CEO and according to Andrew Neil, Editor in Chief of the Sun?

"If you want to know what Rupert Murdoch really thinks read the editorials in the Sun and the New York Post because he is editor-in-chief of these papers" -SDH Was Sun Editor Rebekah Wade talking all over her mouth when she said Rupert Murdoch doesn't interfere with the editorial direction of the paper? Or is former Sunday Times editor Andrew Neil talking all over his mouth by saying that Murdoch Interfered so much that he is basically the Editor of the Sun? Either way who would be shocked? Andrew Neil is probably trying to get some media face time even though his claims may not hold water due to the fact that he hasn't worked for the paper for over a decade? Why is the Lords committee even hearing what Andrew Neil has to say. The guy can't remember anything, and besides he isn’t telling us anything we don’t already know. Rupert Murdoch’s biggest fuck up as Editor in Chief of the New York Post was this.

In his father's shoes

BY SDH Lachlan Murdoch is taking a page out of his daddy Rupert's book and is building his media empire, one newspaper paper at a time. According to published reports the former New York Post Publisher and deputy Chief Operating Officer of News Corp has teamed up with Australia's richest man James Packer to acquire publishing company Consolidated Media Holdings for a cool $2 billion. Is Lachlan finally pulling the curtains up on his grand comeback plan? Word is an official announcement will be made later on today.

Turkey plans to spread em for big foreign media companies

-BY SDH Turkey planning to bend over and allow foreign media companies to own bigger chunks of Turkish broadcasters. A draft law written and submitted to the Prime Minister's office would open the gates for people like Rupert Murdoch to up his stake in media properties in the country. Murdoch is already said to be one of many media bigs kicking the tires on ATV-Sabah. If and when this law does pass, will other major U.S. media companies show interest in entering and/or expanding in the Turkish media market? A young population, coupled with annual economic growth seen around 5 percent makes the Turkish media market attractive to investors. A population of more than 70 million speaking the same language is also a plus for advertisers, analysts say. Turkey plans to lift foreign media ownership limit [Reuters

News Corp Aggregated: Hillary Clinton's unflattering campaign's unflattering coverage | Monster.com, not Linked-In on Rupert Murdoch's mind?

-SDH It looks like all that speculation about News Corp being in talks with the folks at business social networking site Linked-In is just that, speculation at least for now. Well there is new speculation again, but this time it involves job search engine Monster.com. According to seekingalpha.com, Murdoch sent a letter to the Monster.com board offering them $4.8 billion for the company. Sounds familiar right? Yeah, he took similar route when he went after DowJones. But is this rumor, just a rumor or is this really happening? seekingalpha.com fails to spark any sense of "WOW! this may happen" They only mention that Sal Iannuzzi was hired as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Monster.com back in April 2007 to reportedly set the company up to be sold, apparently because he's a wiz at selling companies or something. He sold a company called Symbol Tech Whooohooo! Like every other rumor, this is a wait and see. After all, News Corp is still chewing on their recent $5 Billion take over of Dow Jones. [seekingalpha.com] Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton should join the line of people who holds a grudge against Rupert Murdoch. Apparently Hill is kinda ticked off at the coverage The New York Post gave her during the New Hampshire debates. Is that what she was really worried about? [Newsbusters]

Rupert Murdoch re-invests in company he lost $1 billlion on earlier

The man just continues to expand his reach it seems like every month or something like that. Media King Rupert Murdoch has swallowed a 14.6% stake in German pay-TV operator Premiere for for a reported $214 million just five years after losing $1 billion in an earlier investment in the same broadcaster. It looks like Rupe did a pull out and step back after losing that $1 billion and now that things are looking a little more firm, he is back with a fresh investment. Back when he lost the $1 Billion, King Rupe described it as a black eye. But today he is singing a new tune. -SDH "Pay-TV is a core business for News Corporation and it's a category that's thriving across Europe with a multitude of new services and innovations," Rupert Murdoch said. We see enormous potential for growth in Germany and believe the time is right to invest in its foremost pay-TV business, Premiere." News Corp buys stake in German pay-TV firm [Guardian]

ABC on CNN: Politics brings CNN and ABC News together

Either CNN Prexy Jon Klein had nothing for the 7-8pm time slot tonight, or he loved the New Hampshire debates that ABC News broadcasted so much he had to air it on his network. Dian Sawyer was even on CNN which was kinda weird. In an interview CNN's Jon Klein said that he believes the lines between media giants are slowly being erased and CNN airing ABC's content is just another step forward in the no barriers direction. Now we can start speculating about some kind of deal in the works and this is just a public test run, but we won't. Jon Klein spoke about how the whole thing came about saying, he called his good buddy David Westin, who is President of ABC News who was getting on a plane to head to New Hampshire and asked if he could re-air the New Hampshire debates and it was a go. Is this really where big media is headed? Will we see Jeff Bewkes calling Sumner Redstone asking if he can air Nickelodeon content on the Cartoon Network? Or Rupert Murdoch calling Jeff Zucker at NBC asking if he could air Mad Money on Fox Business Network? Ok so that’s a stretch. But is no barrier, media industry workable where media companies trade content? Sure media companies buy syndication licenses to air shows of other networks that are no longer on the air but that’s the norm. What was the agreement on the back end of CNN airing ABC's New Hampshire debates? Is ABC News getting a cut from Ad revenue or was it just an agreement between two friends, CNN's John Klein and ABC News's David Westin. -SDH

Rupert Murodoch's Fox Business network fell flat in its first months, but that’s normal for a new cable network or something like that

-SDH Would the suits at News Corp say that Fox Business News met their expectations or fell short of them? Rupert Murdoch's invasion of CNBC's turf may not have had the shock and awe we think some at News Corp thought it would. Fox Business News prime time averaged 15,000 viewers in the nine weeks through the week of December 16. Rupert Murdoch says he expects the network to reach 40 million U.S. homes in this year. But we doubt Rupe is worried about it. "The launch of any new cable network in this environment -- the numbers are going to be very small starting out, regardless of whether it's coming from a big media conglomerate or not," said Brad Adgate, senior vice president of research at Horizon Media, who tracks media trends. Fox Business draws few viewers in first months [Reuters]

Hot Asian guy says Rupert Murdoch will need a boat load of traffic to offset lost revenue for dropping the paid wall at WSJ.com

-ZOE S. Bear Stearns media analyst Spencer "Big" Wang is crunching numbers again this time to find out how much traffic Rupert Murdoch will need when he knocks down the paid wall at WSJ.com. According to Wang traffic will have to increase 12 fold to help offset the lost revenue. But Spencer may have too much time on his hand. Sure the revenue (a reported $78m) is a sweet chunk of cash, but Spencer may be more worried about that than Rupert Murdoch himself. Losing $78m may not even put a dent in News Corps bottom line, according to PaidContent. What Wang is forgetting is that Rupert Murdoch is known for swallowing losses in the beginning. Murdoch is planning to fluff up up advertising on WSJ.com and even said he knows it will take a little time, but it will get there.

News Corp begins to offset cost of Dow Jones

-RAY After recently dropping over $5 Billion on Dow Jones, News Corp has already begun the offsetting process. The company announced that it sold off 8 television stations for $1.1 Billion. This comes as reports are popping up about a possible sale of Harper Collins to the book loving Germans at Bertelsmann AG News Corp said in a statement Saturday the deal was expected to close in the third calendar quarter of next year. The sale of the Fox affiliate stations in small markets will leave News Corp with 27 stations in major markets including New York, Boston and Los Angeles. News Corp to Sell 8 TV Stations for $1.1 Billion [CNBC]

FCC's cap off could be another win for media king Rupert Murdoch

-RAY FCC Chairboy Kevin Martin sets limits for cable and news firms in an attempt to save the newspaper industry and of course not everyone is happy. However one person that is probably smiling this morning is non other than News Corp, now Dow Jones ruler Rupert Murdoch, who because of this ruling can win permanent waivers to control two television stations in New York, as well as The New York Post and The Wall Street Journal. In one 3-to-2 vote on Tuesday, Mr. Martin sided with the agency’s two other Republicans to relax the newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership rules in the nation’s 20 largest markets. Under the new rule, a company can own both a newspaper and either a television or radio station in those markets as long as there remain at least eight other independent sources of news. If it is a television station, the rule requires that it cannot be one of the top four. F.C.C. Reshapes Rules Limiting Media Industry [NYT]

Alexis Glick to add host of “Opening Bell" to her many other duties at Fox Business News

-YOSH Maybe Rupert Murdoch needs to hire some more people for his Fox Business Network because it looks like the staff is stretched thin over there. Alexis Glick who already performs many duties as FBN’s vp of business news will host the one hour program starting Monday Dec. 17 from 9-10 am. FBN correspondents slated to make regular appearances on the new program include Robert Gray, Liz MacDonald, Connell McShane, Charles Payne, Nicole Petallides, Adam Shapiro and overseas markets editor Ashley Webster, who is based in London. Fox Business Net to Launch Opening Bell [Mediaweek]

Christopher Bancroft: I'm sorry we won't be as involved with Dow Jones now, were they ever? Rich Zannino knows his high end fashion

-YOSH It looks like reality has set in for some members of the Bancroft family who ruled Dow Jones for decades up until yesterday. Now that they no longer have control of the company, Bancroft family member Chris Bancroft is all sad, even with a fatter bank account. “I’m sad we’re no longer going to be involved as we had been, but I look forward to Rupert doing a great job in keeping Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal the quality organizations they have been,” said Christopher Bancroft, a Dow Jones board member. “I hope it doesn’t change in a way that would cause it to lose the credibility it has had. I’m optimistic.” As far as former Dow Jones CEO Rich Zannino goes... he's already getting some good advice from Dow Jones board member Evelyn Y. Davis who suggested to Mr. Zannino that he return to the apparel industry. She even challenged him to tell her which designer she was wearing and to no surprise, Zannino got it right. She was wearing Valentino. Hey, did Gap ever find a new CEO? Zannino should apply. News Corp. Completes Takeover of Dow Jones [NYT]

Rupert Murdoch on his plans for the Journal, its competitors and what he would have done if he was the Financial Times

-SDH Moments after he officially took control of Dow Jones, Rupert Murdoch did what any other media mogul who owns a cable business network would have done, he stopped by his Fox Business News studios for a sit down with FBN lead anchor Neil Cavuto. In his strong Aussie twang, Rupert speaks of what’s to come for the Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones. Rupe totally forgetful of the fact that with the Thomson-Reuters merger Dow Jones will have to work double time to become a prominent player in financial information says he wants it to be the preeminent source of financial news and information. Asked by Cavuto if he bought a dinosaur Rupert of course did not and does not believe that. We look forward to what’s coming.

Rupert Murdoch wants to celebrate but not everyone is in the mood for celebrating

-YOSH Rupert Murdoch and his News Corpians are so happy that they finally got the keys to Dow Jones, they plan to celebrate via a $2 million ad campaign set to go live tomorrow touting the company's accomplishments. The company bought up ad space in major newspapers but not all of them want to share in Murdoch's joy. The Financial Times and the China Daily - have so far declined to run the in your face ads,but that won't stop News Corp from sharing their joy. News Corp. official said it was the first time the company has done branded advertising. Spanning three pages and playing off Dow Jones' motto, the headline is "Free People, Free Markets, Free Thinking," and trumpets Murdoch's convention-challenging accomplishments over several decades. Those include the launches of the Sun tabloid and BSkyB satellite broadcasting in England, the creation of Fox television (and The Simpsons) in the United States, the Fox News Channel, and the purchase of MySpace two years ago. "It's the first time we've given the company a narrative that expresses how we've gone against convention in providing greater choice and diversity in entertainment and information to consumers around the world," said a company insider. What better way to rub your accomplishments in the face of your competitors but taking out ads in the very papers your fellow media CEOs probably read. WE LOVE IT! Murdoch ad squelched by FT, Chinese daily [Fortune]

NON-SHOCKER: Dow Jones board backs sale to News Corp

Shareholders Back Dow Jones Sale [NYT]

And now this morning's worth mentioning media business news

-SDH With all the changes Rupert Murdoch has already made at Dow Jones & Co, like setting up an office for himself there, firing and hiring new people to run the Wall Street Journal, it makes you wonder why in the world a vote if even needed tomorrow. Is it like a ceremonial vote to mark the official transfer of ownership or something? For all we know the Bancrofts are already fighting over their cut of the $5 Billion Rupert paid for the joint. [NYT] The porn guys at Penthouse Media Group are doing the same things the guys are doing at other media companies like News Corp are doing. They are dropping major green on social networking sites to drive business. [NYT] Something called The Competition Commission is pushing for BskyB to cut it's share in ITV from 17.9% to between 5 and 10%. Will James Murdoch, son of Rupert go for that? [MediaGuardian] While it's employees were outside screaming "WE WANT OUR BENEFITS BACK YOU BASTARDS", Viacom/MTV was busy sending out press releases like the once announcing formation of Digital Fusion, a new group that will focus on creating customized cross media campaigns for advertisers [Mediaweek]

News Corp’s Peter Chernin out in 2009

-YOSH It’s definitely looking like long time News Corp Prexy and Chief Operating Officer Peter Chernin will be out of a job in about 2 years or less. James Murdoch' the youngest son of Rupert, was upped last week to rule over his daddy's overseas operations and many see it as the set up for when Peter Chernin's contract expires in 2009. Based on this, Pete Chernin's days at News Corp are numbered. We wouldn't be surprised if he ended up leaving before then. No wait we take that back, that would be going against his contract and may cost him millions. So is James Murdoch ready to take over one of the world's premier media companies? There is a huge possibility that this won't happen for a few more years even after Chernin is out, because Rupe still has some juice in him and may hold on to the CEO title so he can groom James to be the biggest shark in the tank. If and when James does land in Peter Chernin's office, we expect to hear about some resignations immediately following his appointment by daddy. We just hope Peter Chernin wasn't naive enough to think that a man with two grown sons who both worked in the business would have chosen him to take over as CEO because he is the company's number two.

With James Murdoch now dubbed the heir to his daddy Rupert's empire, should Peter Chernin be weighing his options, if not now then soon?

-YOSH Rupert Murdoch opened up a can of moves across News Corp and his new baby Dow Jones yesterday. One of those moves included his son James being named to oversee everything across Europe and Asia which some say solidifies his position as heir to the News Corp throne. So what does all this mean for longtime News Corp number two Peter Chernin? Should such talk make it clear to him that, he kinda out of a job if and when James does take over? Unless he wants to be the longest serving President & Chief Operating Officer in media, and that's if James will even have him. But we won't jump the gun too soon on this because Rupert is known for making things work and it could end up being a power sharing thing between Chernin and the younger Murdoch. But even still, with his experience and long run at News Corp, Chernin may want to finally be the shot caller at a media firm where he has the final say. In the mean time, James Murdoch is being groomed right in front of our eyes. Oh yeah did we mention that their is still the possibility of Lachlan Murdoch getting back in the picture? Murdoch is making the switch from BSkyB's south-west London base in Osterley to News International's east London HQ, as he steps up from his job as the satellite broadcaster's chief executive to become the chairman and chief executive of his father Rupert's extensive media businesses across two continents. He is also stepping into his father's shoes as the non-executive chairman of Sky, in which News Corp is the largest shareholder. "It's going to make a lot of people feel very old," one News International journalist said of 34-year-old Murdoch Jr's imminent arrival. Murdoch Jr in at Wapping next week [MG]

The Murdochization of Dow Jones: Rupert Murdoch does the expected, say hello to the other Les

If the Bancrofts were to swing by the offices of their once beloved company, Dow Jones, in about a month or so, they probably wouldn’t know the people who are now running the show there. Final papers haven't been signed yet and already Rupert Murdoch, the man who wined and dined the Bancrofts into selling him their company, is already putting his stamp all over it. As expected, Dow Jones CEO Richard Zaninno is gone, in what seems to be a rush out the door, and a new CEO has been named. Based on earlier published reports all bets were on former Times of London editor Robert Thomson taking the helm, putting the legendary company back in the leading hands of a journalist. But Rupert and company pulled a sneaky one and installed yet another Murdochian (someone loyal to the Murdoch’s) out of his hat in naming Les Hinton CEO of Dow Jones. In naming Hinton CEO, Thomson was also named Publisher of the Wall Street Journal, signaling Rupert's desire to keep a tight grip on things at the company. But what will happen when both Hinton and Thomson move into their new rolls and start calling the shots? OK so that was such a cliche question that we all know the answer to. Word is there are more departures expected from the company as Murdoch moves to fill the executive offices with hand picked individuals from across News Corp. Will the Wall Street Journal's newsroom be made over as well with faces familiar to both Hinton and Thomson? This is only the beginning and we can't wait to see how it all plays out. Oh yeah, and that promise Rupert made in writing to not snoop around editorial, did they think he wouldn't find a way around that? With Rupert’s plans to take down the paid wall of the Wall Street Journal’s website, Hinton and Thomson have one of their first challenges in keeping the site revenue driven. On another not, why do we get the impression that News Corp's so called number two Peter Chernin was kept out of this deal? Just asking. -SDH Les Hinton to take reins as Dow Jones CEO [Fortune]

Rob Thomson and Rupert Murdoch have man love for each other, and they both dig Asian chicks

-YOSH Robert Thomson may very well be the next CEO of Dow Jones, after current CEO Richard Zaninno departs after the deal closes next week. Perhaps Zannino will go back into fashion retail or something. Robert Thomson is probably Rupert Murdoch's most vocal supporter. He was the one cheering for Rupe on the sidelines during the whole showdown with the flip flopping Bancroft family, and as the deal comes to a close we are starting to see why. Rupert and Rob we're sure see eye to eye on many things business related and personal. But the biggest thing these two share in common, and this could be a huge part of their tight relationship, is that they are both into Asian chicks, literally. However, Rupert's wife Wendy is a hotter bone hands down.

On Jeffrey Immelt's orders, Jeff Zucker will fuck up the Holidays for many

-YOSH There goes the Holiday's for some at NBC Universal. CEO Jeff Zucker, on orders from his rulers at General Electric will trim the fat where needed so that NBC Uni will look better on paper, or perhaps they need the cash to pump into Hulu.com. This is Zucker's second bloodbath since taking over as CEO. The people who remain should prepare for their work loads to double because it looks like Zucker won't be filling the spots in the future. Maybe there was another way around all this though. Like perhaps employees would have been cool with paying 100% for their health coverage or something? Sources inside or close to NBC yesterday claimed the cuts, which are expected to come down this week or next, will be weighted evenly between NBC News and MSNBC. CNBC staffers are being shielded from this round of cuts because Zucker wants the network to be at full strength now that the battle with Fox Business Network has begun. (FBN is owned by News Corp., which also owns The Post.) Guess those lucky bastards at CNBC should thank Rupert Murdoch for saving their jobs. PEACOCK PURGE [NYP]

The designer was probably paid by Rupert Murdoch's goons

-YOSH The poor bastards at The Sydney Morning Herald were all excited to see their new Newsroom. But what they weren't expecting was Rupert Murdoch staring them down. Apparently, THE designer hired to spruce up the paper's newsroom got the wacky idea to carve Rupert Murdoch's face in the glass pillars,totally unaware that Rupert Murdoch is their biggest rival. Now something like this would be more appropriate for the Wall Street Journal newsroom don't you think. Rupe's goons sooo! paid the designer to do that. Its some kind of intimidation tactic. At first no one could put a name to the face, until someone realized it was arch-rival Murdoch, his face resting on his hand and smiling. It seems the interior designer, looking for a news image for the pillars, chose a photo of Murdoch to etch on the pillars not realizing he was the Herald's nemesis.A spokesman for the Herald's owner, Fairfax, said the corporate mistake was an unfortunate but amusing design error. Murdoch watches over rival Sydney newsroom [Reuters]

All jokes aside, will Dow Jones CEO Rich Zannino survive in the house of Murdoch?

-YOSH So come next week, news Corp, if the world doesn't end, will close on its deal to swallow Dow Jones. But swallowing such a big company whole, causes gagging which will lead to News Corp throwing up, purging its inners of unfamiliar overpaid individuals to help offset the $5 Billion price tag. But how high up will the purging go? Dow Jones CEO Richard Zannino has always been an under the Radar kind of guy, even more so since he pushed for the takeover of the company. In pushing for the takeover Zannino may have just had one thing on his mind which is the cash he will pocket when the deal is done. But did he stop to think that he could be canned in favor of a Murdochian (a person loyal to the Murdochs). Then again it's probably written somewhere that he has to remain CEO of the company at least until his contract expires. However if Rupert Murdoch can get around a confused and dysfunctional family like the Bancrofts, he can get around a piece of paper. So is it likely that Rich Zannino will be shown the exit? Maybe not right away, but eventually he will be. We see Dow Jones, being reduced to simply a brand with all its businesses, like the Wall Street Journal and its web properties like Marketwatch.com being mixed into the News Corp swirl, leaving no need for a Richard Zannino

With the completion of the Dow Jones takeover imminent, so is the appointment of a new editor at The Times

-YOSH James Harding, if speculations are correct, will be installed as the new Editor at news Corp's The Times, replacing current editor Robert Thomson. The Times board is said to be meeting next week to finalize a deal two days before parent company News Corp closes on its takeover of Dow Jones. This is just the beginning of major shifting that's to come across News Corp. However, all the talk in News International's Wapping HQ is of an imminent new arrival in the Times editor's office, with one executive saying the appointment would be made "by the end of next week". Harding, the Times business editor, whom Thomson recruited from the Financial Times 18 months ago, is still regarded as the favoured candidate to replace him as editor. New Times editor next week? [MG]

News Corp rolls out "The No deal" technique while they work it out with the LinkedIN guys

-YOSH OK so who is going out of their way to reiterate that News Corp is not in talks to buy social networking business site, LinkedIn.com? The source is shooting down everything from a rumored $1 Billion price tag to Rupert Murdoch regretting his Dow Jones purchase. OK so he didn't shoot that one down. But in previous reports, both companies already made it clear, or attempted to make it clear that they aren't in talks whatsoever. But come on why wouldn't a deal happen? It makes sense and we all know Rupert isn't afraid to throw cash at things he wants. Don't they know that the more they deny that talks are going on the more people will think that talks are really going on? Clearly this is an attempt to keep speculation in the media about a possible deal, perhaps a technique to get the LinkedIN side to agree to a buyout because they are probably holding out for more money than News Corp thinks they're worth. "Strategically, it would be a great fit," Goldman Sachs analyst Anthony Noto told Reuters last week. Whether it makes financial sense hinges on price, he said. There is no way LinkedIn is worth $1 Billion. News Corp, LinkedIn not in takeover talks: source [Reuters]

Rupert Murdoch named number two most powerful person in business. We predict he will be #1 next year or we will say nice things about David Pecker

-SDH Media king Rupert Murdoch came in on Fortune's "Power 25" list at number two right behind Apple iGod Steve Jobs. However we have to say that we think it should be the other way around. Rupe along with the Google dudes at number 4 and Disney's Bob Iger who came in second to last at 24 are the only media figures on the list. Missing from the list are media heavies like Time Warner's Dick Parsons and Jeff Bewkes, Jeff Zucker, Sumner Redstone and Les Moonves to name a few. Then again none of the above mentioned pulled off any major accomplishments this year. Some are empire builders. Others are hired guns. But if they truly have world-class oomph, they're on Fortune's subjective - yet really quite accurate - list of the most powerful businesspeople in the world. 25 most powerful people in business [Fortune]

News Corp's shady stake

-YOSH Rupert Murdoch is no doubt slowly taking control of our everyday sources of news, information and entertainment, but not all of them are transparent. Georgia's prime minister said on Wednesday he wanted Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. to buy the banned independent television station Imedi outright. Rupe already owns a chunk of the channel with Georgian multimillionaire Badri Patarkatsishvili, but it looks like Georgia's Prime Minster is hoping a full takeover by News Corp will quiet his non supporters. The thing is, no one knows how deep News Corp's stake is in the network and they (News Corp) aren't saying, at least not right now. "We have stated our desire to not to see News Corp. in an unclear role in Imedi," he (the prime minster) said. "On the contrary, we want News Corp. to own a 100-percent share or a controlling stake." News Corp. has declined to disclose its holding in Imedi. Patarkatsishvili has said he sold his 49-percent stake to News Corp. in 2006. So does News Corp own all of Imedi? Why are they staying mum on this property? Georgia PM has offered Imedi TV to News Corp. [Reuters]

Media News aggregated

-MEDIA WIRE DAILY Jim Nail, an exec with Cymphony, the online advertising analytics firm, predicts that web properties like Youtube, Myspace and Facebook won't become the ABC, NBC and CBS of the 21st century. These fuckers really have time on their hands don't they? [CNNMoney] Is this a Murdoch call? DowJones is thinking about selling off their Ottaway group of eight daily and 15 weekly community newspapers and related media franchises. They seem to be lightening the load before Rupe takes control at the end of the year. [Marketwatch] Mad Money-ist Jim Cramer shares with us why media stocks are not the way to go right now. One word sums it all up GOOGLE [BloggingStocks] We don't think Jeff Bewkes will sell AOL but just in case he is planning to do so when he takes office, but here is another but familiar reason he should just spin it off [TWBS] Is Jeff Bewkes Ghost writing for the Carson Daly hosted "Last Call with Carson Daly" while writers are still on strike? [Reuters] Conde Nast and other's we can't bother to mention because there names are too long will to produce MOVIES ROCK(TM) a Celebration of Music in Film, but the names scheduled to appear aren't that exciting. [PRNW]

Rupert Murdoch won't fill the Wall Street Journal with pussy stories, maybe stories about pussy though

-MARTY Legendary Journalist Ben Bradlee has no worries about what the Wall Street Journal will look like in a year because he thinks Rupert Murdoch is a better Journalist than most real journalists. Though Bradlee doesn't seem to know the media titan on a personal, personal level, he does remember Rupert from back in the day when he used to stop off in Washington on his way back from Sydney Australia. Bradlee said during this time they had DC cops follow Murdoch to track his every move. And we thought this only happened to rappers. What do you think the Wall Street Journal will look like a year from now? I don't worry about it. I think [Rupert] Murdoch is a better journalist than the rest of you do. Really? Why do you say that? Well, I think because he's smart, and he's not going to fill it up with pussy stories. And he's going to get good reporters. I think he does not want to fail on this. Wonder if Ben Bradlee is implying that Wall Street Journal competitors fill their pages with "Pussy Stories" BEN BEHAVING BRADLEE [Radar]

Newscorp says it isn't buying LinkedIn but we all know that really means they are

Rupert Murdoch's henchmen are said to be at it again this time talking up the folks at LinkedIn.com. We've always admired Newscorp's online interest over the years. They always seem to go the un-traditional route when seeking new online properties to swallow. If Newscorp lands LinkedIn, there is no doubt they will gel it with Myspace. They can even use the site to look for new talent and run ads based on the industry someone works in. Oh man the possibilities. Will this be Fox Interactive (FIM) head Peter Levinsohn's shot at major kudos like his cousin former FIM Prexy Ross Levinsohn got and continues to get for landing myspace and causing Tom Freston his job? Anyway, for now both News Corp and LinkedIn claim there are no talks going on between them. Is Rupert Murdoch eyeing LinkedIn? [Telegraph]

And now this morning's worth mentioning media business news

-YOSH Rupert Murdoch, is setting expectations high for his Sky News saying he wants it to be more like Fox News. that's easy all they have to do is spread the Republican agenda and talk up Rudy Giuliani [MG] That kid who runs the FCC, yeah Kevin Martin, is having a hard time getting his fellow FCCers to support his effort to regulate cable television companies more tightly. Good luck Kevo [NYT] ABC and Facebook now working together to bring you closely to politics. As if you would want to be soclose to that dirty thing. [NYT] Seriously though, why does Rupert Murdoch want to kill the WSJ.com paid wall when it brings in so much money every year? Whoever is in charge of ad sales will have to work their ass off even more to match offset that immediate loss of revenue. [Mediaweek]

Why did rupert murdoch unload $360 million worth of news corp shares?

-MARTY Well to give to his children of course. Some of us here wouldn't mind being a Murdoch this Christmas. What the hell are his kids, mainly the ones old enough to spend it going to do with all that money? They are getting like $60 million each. We know what we would do! and it includes a lot of booze, women, fast cars and weed. Yeah we would be on a show called "True Hollywood train wrecks" The cash pay-out follows a $600m bonanza received by the siblings in February - at the time the biggest distribution of Mr Murdoch's fortune. Proceeds from the sale of 17.5m class A shares are expected to be equally split among the children. Some could go to Mr Murdoch himself. "The sale was part of the Murdoch family's normal financial planning," a News Corp spokesman said. Pay-out for Murdoch family [FT]

News corp, the evil republican media empire?

-By YOSH We all know that News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch is a huge Republican backer. We all know that he uses his print properties, specifically his newspapers to make sure the republican message gets out. But are News Corp's Republican ties waste deep to the point where a senior executive allegedly tried to talk deposed Regan Books head Judith Regan into hiding her past intimate relationship with disgraced former NYC police commissioner Bernie Kerik to protect the presidential aspirations of Rudy Giuliani? What else has News Corp done or doing to protect the Republican agenda? How will Dow Jones and it's properties play into this? One-time book publishing powerhouse Judith Regan filed a $100 million defamation lawsuit Tuesday saying her former employers asked her to lie to federal investigators about Bernard Kerik, the former police commissioner who was once her lover, and tried to destroy her reputation.Regan, who worked for HarperCollins Publishers LLC, said the smear campaign stems from her past intimate relationship with Kerik, who was police commissioner under former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, and from the political agenda of News Corp., the parent company of HarperCollins. Regan Files $100M Suit Against Publisher [Huff Wires]

Jeff Immelt urged to take action regarding potential threat from Fox Business Network

-By MARTY You know there must be a serious threat against CNBC by Fox Business News when an open letter that should have been addressed to Jeff Zucker goes over his head and is addressed to his boss at GE Jeff Immelt. In the open letter Immelt is reminded of the things he is that former GE boss Jack Welch wasn't and is reminded that if he doesn't act now it may haunt him. Though there are no available reports on how Rupert Murdoch's new channel is doing, people continue to refer to the ass whipping his Fox News has given CNN over the years predicting that it will happen again with Fox Business News kicking CNBC's ass. Should Jeff Immelt take this open letter seriously and order his media chief Jeff Zucker and his troops into battle? We kinda think so. Because as the saying goes, never bet against Rupert Murdoch. Rescue Memo to Jeff Immelt [Portfilio.com via Yahoo]

Wendy Deng Murdoch: would you hit it? We would!

Wendy Deng Murdoch, wife of the mighty Rupert, is not the usual media wife cut out. She can be mistaken for a high powered celebrity magazine Editrix or even a hard charging publicist who dates all her male clients. What sets her apart from her media wife peers? Why do we find ourselves fantasizing about her? We're sure we aren't the only ones who wouldn't mind getting a taste of what old man Murdoch gets from time to time. Hell she can even have our babies. -MEDIA WIRE DAILY WENDY DENG MURDOCH: WOULD YOU HIT IT? HELL YEAH MAYBE HELL NO

And now this morning's kinda worthy media news

Good news for new Wall Street Journal owner Rupert Murdoch, the paper now has 1 million online subscribers. Still thinking about going all free Rupe? [Reuters] Jeff Bewkes is already under pressure from the media and he hasn't even been named CEO yet. We hope expectations aren't set too high for the incoming CEO of TimeWarner [Marketwatch] Some how Citi Group CEO Chuck Prince's resignation officially makes 2007 a great year for CNBC reporter Maria Bartiromo [NYT] CBS Mobile's unapologetic boss kills babies [NYT]

When the Zuck attacks

NBC Universal's little big man, Jeff Zucker has been stepping up his attacks on News Corp's newbie business network saying that the network has had no impact whatsoever. Yeah both NBC Uni and News Corp may be in bed together with their Internet venture Hulu.com but that isn't stopping either side from firing shots at one another. The battle between NBC and Fox ratcheted up Monday when NBC chief Jeff Zucker waved aside Fox Business Network's chances of competing with CNBC, and Fox responded by firing back at Zucker. "We seem to be doing two different things," Zucker told reporters at a breakfast Q&A with the New Yorker's media writer, Ken Auletta. "CNBC is a serious financial news network. From what we've seen from Fox, it's not as investor focused, not as financially focused." Zucker dismissed the financial implications of FBN for NBC. "From a business standpoint it's had no impact," Zucker said of the new News Corp. channel. The Hollywood Reporter could have come up with a better headline though instead of recycling one that has been used by many. Fox Business Network gets Zucker-punched [THR]

New York Times' Ron Stodghill says Dick Parsons is being forced to stand down and more in this morning's not so worthy media news

The head of Merrill Lynch got canned and Dick Parsons is about to hand over control of Time Warner to Jeff Bewkes. Does this spell doom for black chief execs in America? [NYT] Ted Turner knows when to back down from a fight he can't win. The mouth of the south made nice with the world's biggest media mogul, Rupert Murdoch over lunch signaling the end of many years of back and forth insults. Good for you Teddy. [DHD] NBC Universal shutters yet another online failure. First it was NBCi, then NBBC , now its Dotcomedy.com which was basically like Viacom's thedailyshow.com. Dotcomedy.com ran clips of SNL but never gained any real traction. Could it be because SNL lost traction about 5 years ago? [MW] While getting roasted by colleagues, former bosses and friends, former NBCer turned AOLer Randy Falco said that AOL is worth fighting for. Um.....OK [B&C]

Note to FCC member Michael Copps: News Corp already has that influence you are soooo worried about, dummy

So, as usual there is always someone at the FCC trying to play hero. This time it's Commission member Michael Copps, who apparently woke up one morning and said to himself "Holy shit, that Rupert guy is too powerful" But what Mr. Copps doesn't know is that he is like a little too late. Copps is concerned that Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, now the baddest motherfucker in media, will have their hands in too many pots. ``It will create a single company with enormous influence over politics, art and culture across the nation and especially in the New York area,'' Copps said today in a letter to FCC Chairboy Kevin Martin, a Republican. Copps, one of two Democrats on the five-member panel, said the deal shouldn't proceed until the FCC studies the potential impact on competition, diversity and local-broadcast obligations in the New York market. The Federal Trade Commission granted early termination of an antitrust waiting period in August. FCC's Copps Wants Review of News Corp.-Dow Jones Deal [Bloomberg]

The king looks to expand his reach yet again

The real king of all media, Rupert Murdoch is looking to expand his reach oversees via Turkey. The company is said to be kicking the tires on media companies in Turkey, specifically the atv television station and the Sabah newspaper. Rupert Murdoch seems to be the only media mogul who believes in newspapers. Clearly this is the secret to his success, controlling the very vehicle that reports on you and your company. "We can compete better if we have more assets,'' said Al Parsons, head of the company's European television operations, said in an interview in Warsaw today. ``We are looking at what's being offered." News Corp. Is `Looking at' Turkish Media Assets, Executive Says [Bloomberg]

Obama to FCC chairboy Kevin Martin: Sloooow down

Presidential wannabe Barack Obama is calling on FCC Chairboy Kevin Martin to slow his roll on re-writing media ownership rules. This suggestion from someone wanting to take ob George Bush's headaches can't be going over well with big media players like Rupert Murdoch and others who would love to see the door thrown wide open my the FCC so they can go on a massive shopping and merger spree. Dear Chairboy Martin: I am writing regarding your proposal to move forward aggressively with modifications to existing media ownership rules. According to press accounts, you intend to present specific changes to existing rules in November with a commission vote on that proposal -- whatever it may be – Dec. 18, 2007. I believe both the proposed timeline and process are irresponsible Obama Calls On Martin to Slow Down on Ownership Review [B&C]

Morning Wire: And now this morning's worthy media news

NBC, not wanting to send traffic anyone else's way, quietly killed it's year old Youtube channel as they do finally prepping for the launch of Hulu.com their online video venture with news Corp. [NYP] The New York times recognized a little jump in profits during their third quarter report.[NYT] So if no one really knows for sure how many hits their websites are getting, aren't advertisers being naive? [NYT] Rupert Murdoch has become quite the celebrity [News] Is Fox Business taking away some eyes from CNBC, or are business news fiends going through what we call "The New New Syndrome"? Jeff Zucker we're sure is hoping its the latter [MN]

Damn that Rupert Murdoch!

Are you totally against big media consolidation? Did you always want to kick some big media ass? Then here is your shot.

Jeff Zucker may have nothing to worry about after all...NOT!

Roger Ailes did say that the games have just begun, so maybe we shouldn't jump the gun just yet. But published reports say that the new Fox Business News Network debuted to luke warm reviews. But do the luke warm reviews really matter? Ailes said that info on how many people are actually watching the new network won't be public for about 6 months or even the first year. So regardless of the reviews, could Fox news have had a huge debut as far as viewership, and we won't know until they are made public? "I don't think this will change the entire landscape of American TV as we know it," said Robert Thompson, professor of media and popular culture at Syracuse University. "So far, this morning, it's not been terribly exciting." FBN's move to take Wall Street to Main Street, interspersing business with lifestyle and entertainment spots, underwhelmed media experts who had expected a splashier debut to compete with incumbent cable business news leader CNBC. Perhaps Ailes & Murdoch should have orchestrated a picketing style promo campaign in front of CNBC headquarters or something. Well this is only their second day of broadcasting, but let us not forget that the last business network (CNNfn) that went up against CNBC crashed and burned. Then again Fox News did eventually kick CNN's ass. Fox Business will definitely be using dirty tactics to get at least a big toe up on CNBC, but it will cost them. CNBC has a deal with the Wall Street Journal that runs until 2012. Rupert Murdoch can cut those ties if he writes Jeff Zucker a fat check. NBC will then probably run to the Financial Times. Who knows? Hey Zuck, watch your back! Roger Ailes is trying to sit on you. Fox Business launches to lukewarm review [Reuters]

Is Fox Business already playing dirty?

NBC Universal's CNBC had ads scheduled to run on the front page of Marketwatch.com today. But then out of the blue, the agency what bought the ad space on behalf of CNBC got word from the folks at Marketwatch.com that they won't be able to run the ads after all. Hmmm? Is it a coincidence that, Marketwatch.com is owned by DowJones which is about to be taken over by Rupert Murdoch, whose new business network launches today? Is this the doings of Newscorp? Does Murdoch and company already have their hands in the DowJones pot? If this is the case, then no one should be surprised due to the fact that Fox Business Chairman and long time Murdoch lieutenant Roger Ailes is known for riding dirty! In early September, CNBC negotiated and signed a contract with Dow Jones to buy advertising that was to run today on two Dow Jones Web sites, MarketWatch and The Wall Street Journal site. Last Tuesday night, CNBC’s ad buyers received a call from a Dow Jones representative saying that those ads could not run today, the first day of Fox’s competing channel. In the case of MarketWatch, CNBC had bought both an introduction ad for the site — meaning that every user on the site today would have seen an ad for CNBC before getting to the MarketWatch home page — as well as what is called a “road block” of ads — meaning CNBC would have been the exclusive advertiser on the site’s home page today. Can Fox Win Its Frontal Assault Against CNBC? [NYT]

We have a klaxon from a World War II submarine, one of those, 'Ah-oo-gahs!:Kevin Magee executive vice president Fox Business

Even though he claims he isn't worried about the launch of Rupert Murdoch's Fox Business News network, we don't think Jeff Zucker will sleep peacefully tonight. Hell, he will probably be up waiting for the 2am launch time Monday morning just to get a glimpse at what his CNBC may end up going against hard. We know one things for sure, anyone who is anyone on Wall Street will give Fox Business once over just to see what all the fuss is all about. We know we'll be watching. AMONG Fox News Channel's influences on television news has been the proliferation of the "swoosh," the dramatic sweeping graphics and loud chime that accompany a breaking news bulletin on the cable network.So, as its sister Fox Business Network launches today, what kind of attention-grabbing innovations will News Corp.'s latest cable venture introduce? "We have a klaxon from a World War II submarine, one of those, 'Ah-oo-gahs!' " quipped Kevin Magee, the Fox News executive vice president in charge of the new channel's daily operations. Fox Business Network opens for business [LAT]

The "F" in Fox Business is for Fiorina, and we guess Fare?

Fox Business is about to put Carli Fiorina where she loves to be, back in the spotlight. Rupert Murdoch's soon to be launched business news channel is still working at beefing up its on air personalities. The latest member of the Fox Business family is non other than the former fame whore CEO of Hewlett Packard Carleton Fiorina. Fox has not made clear what her exact roll at the new network is, which usually means they are still trying to figure it out and her hire was more about publicity. However we are looking forward to hearing what the former corporate exec has to say. "We are proud to have her join FBN as a contributor," Kevin Magee, Fox News' executive vice president, said in a statement. "Carly Fiorina is one of the foremost business leaders of our time." Fiorina joins new Fox business channel [AP]

Meet Rupert Murdoch's barber

Ever wondered where Rupert Murdoch goes to keep the hair on his had as sharp as his business sense? Yeah we haven’t either. But if you have, look no further than underneath the St. Regis Hotel in New York City, and there you will find Salon Fodera. Fortune magazine profiles the man who brings high voltage moguls like Murdoch to a calm. Joseph Ancona seems to have a way with the moguls who visit him for their $65 cuts. "Somehow they relax in my chair," he says. As for Murdoch, the chairman first happened into the salon more than a decade ago while staying at the St. Regis, says Ancona, and now stops in for a trim every two weeks when he's in town. "He's a gentleman," Ancona says; while Murdoch is sometimes a little tardy, Ancona says he always apologizes profusely. "Every time, I see him in the corridor, running," he says. There is no doubt that if Rupert Murdoch or one of Joe Ancona's other high profile clients ever got in some trouble, he would be one of the first to be subpoenaed under the assumption that he may know things that no one else knows about the business dealings of people like Murdoch. The man who cuts Rupert's hair [Fortune]

Rupert Murdoch beefing up his new business network for attack on CNBC

Rupert Murdoch is building up the troop levels at his Fox Business Network for an all out invasion of CNBC's territory. The soon to be launched network under the command of long time Murdoch, general Roger Ailes has been somewhat under the radar during preparations leaving its competitors guessing and wondering when and where the attack will come from. Its probably kinda like the way Saddam felt the days leading up to the start of the Iraq war. No? Well we're sure NBC Universal Chief Jeff Zucker is bracing himself.

Op-Ed columnists and more break free at NYtimes.com

The powers that be at The New York Times finally set its Op-Ed columnists and others free to be seen and read by all. We have to say that it was a total pain in the ass especially if its an article we were itching to read. We almost paid for the frigging thing one day and caught ourselves because we believed that the day would come. We guess freedom is contagious because now there is word that The Wall Street Journal's soon to be owner Rupert Murdoch is thinking about busting out the WSJ.com website as well. Lets see if the Financial Times will follow.

Thats like buying an Enzo and not being able to drive it, or something like that

-SDH Only an idiot would think Rupert Murdoch doesn't have the Bancroft family by the balls with the $5 Billion he has dangling in front of their faces. And only an idiot would think old Rupe will do a deal and not have full control at the wheel. Then again sometimes one has to sacrifice when they really want something. It looks like the Bancrofts who turned over negotiations to the DowJones board will sell but under one condition.......The Wall Street Journal can't be touched. Will Rupe accept these terms and get the deal done, or will he send it back with a big "I Don't Think So" written across it? The Bancroft's proposal calls for a Special Committee on Editorial and Journalistic Integrity and would limit News Corp.'s ability to control the Wall Street Journal brand. Dow Jones submits plan for editorial independence: report: [Reuters][

Rupert Murdoch continues to audition for DowJones

They say the man always wins and according to many, he is about to win yet again. Rupert Murdoch is said to be thisclose to seducing the Bancroft family into selling their company to him. It has been a long and perhaps painful audition for Rupe but we think Simon Cowell would have given him the thumbs up. The Bancroft family is starting to realize that Rupe's offer is as generous as they come as one unidentified Bancroft family member puts it all into perspective. You may love your house, but if someone offers you twice what it’s worth, you have to at least listen to the offer — no matter how much you like or dislike the buyer.” This just proves yet again that money talks and bull............well you know the rest! Dow Jones, Murdoch and an Enticing ‘Kiss’ [NYT]

Bancroft family will consider being tricked into selling out to Rupert Murdoch

The Bancroft family who controls DowJones will act as if they are weighing other options but will really be considering Rupert Murdoch's offer to buy them out. Of course there are some, especially in the newsrooms who are hoping a deal doesn't happen because they know what will happen the moment the ink dries on the agreement. So will the Bancrofts bite after behaving as though they weren't blown away by Rupe's generous offer? The family earlier on Thursday said it would meet Murdoch, a softening of its earlier opposition to his $60-per-share offer for the company. Sure you will Bancrofts, sure you will!! Dow Jones to consider Murdoch bid, other offers [Reuters]

All Hail: King Rupert just got even more Kinglier

-SHOMARI HINES Rupert Murdoch may have finally gotten John Malone off his back for good. Rupert and Malone's camp agreed some months ago that they would do a swap deal which would see John Malone's Liberty Media taking control of Direct TV in exchange for Liberty's very threatening 16.3 percent stake in News Corp. The exchange will fluff up the Murdoch family’s stake in the News Corporation to 38 percent, from 31 percent, resulting in worry free days and nights and care free walks without having to look over their backs. “Murdoch solidifies his family’s voting control and helps the stock with the huge effective share buyback,” said David C. Joyce, an analyst at Miller Tabak & Company in New York. The transaction, which needs approval from the Federal Communications Commission, may be completed by midyear, the companies said in December.Liberty will get a 38.5 percent controlling stake in DirecTV, the largest American satellite TV company, and three local Fox sports channels. Liberty will also receive $588 million in cash, up from $550 million under the initial December agreement. Hmm, wonder how long FCC Chairboy Kevin Martin will take on this one? News Corp. Shareholders Accept Liberty Deal [NYT]

NBC Uni and News Corp moving forward with their Youtube killer!

-SHOMARI HINES After what we're sure was much debate, both NBC and News Corp will move forward with their plan to launch a Youtube killer. A press conference is scheduled for this afternoon however News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch will not be the one speaking on behalf of News Corp's roll in the deal, instead he is sending his number two Pete Chernin. We guess Rupe feels like he is above Jeff Zucker even if he is the CEO of NBC Universal. According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, the new venture could launch this summer and provide “an advertiser-friendly destination” for NBC's Heroes and The Office, and Fox’s Family Guy and 24. The newspaper reported that the companies also plan to sell downloads of movies from Universal Pictures and 20th Century Fox. Isn't this new venture a rival of other video sites like Veoh and Revver as well? Why do we always forget about these guys? In other words, NBC and News Corp will have to get through them before they can even put a dent in Youtube. News Corp., NBC to Launch YouTube Rival [News MultiChannel]

Video Wire: Fox News and guests attack Black America

Is it true? Does Fox News have no love for Black America or are they just saying what's on their mind? Everyone knows Rupert Murdoch is all about the Republican Party and uses his many media vehicles to promote his Republican views, is this one of his many views as well?

Media's Billionaires, the Media Wire extraction

-Shomari Hines Forbes Magazine continues its annual spit in the face of us poor people by releasing their Billionaires list. From that list we extracted those we could remember within the media industry and/or those who dabble in it from time to time. Together the folks we extracted have an estimated combined sum of over $100 Billion. However we also believe Forbes has over estimated their list for years by counting one fortune 2 to 3 times, but we digress. Here are the list of media and/or media dabbling billionaires we were able to extract. Oh yeah they are not in any special order either. Barbara Cox Anthony – $12.6B Anne Cox Chambers - $12.6B Michael Bloomberg- $5.5B Rupert Murdoch - $9B Carl Icahn - S13B Sam Newhouse - $7.3B Dolan Family - $2.7B Sergey Brin- $16.6B Larry Page – $16.6B Kirk Kekorian - $15B Sumner Redstone - $8B Eric Schmidt - $6.2B CONTINUED.... Eli Broad - $6B Steve Jobs - $5.7B David Geffen - $4.7B George Lucas - $3.6B Jerrold Perenchio - $3B Steven Spielberg – 3B Haim Saban- $2.8B Ron Burkle - $2.5B David Filo - $2.3B Jerry Yang - $2.2B David Hearst - $2B George Hearst - $2B Roy Disney - $1.3B Meg Whitman - $1.3B Mike Eisner- $1B Herb Allen - $2B Austin Hearst - $2B Dan Ziff - $1.5B Dirk Ziff - $1.5B Robert Ziff - $1.5B Barry Diller - $1.4B Thomas Lee - $2B Edgar Bronfman- $3B

Myspace bringing out the bulls

-Shomari Hines Rupert Murdoch's Fox Interactive unit is looking good in the eyes of greedy investors thanks to that little website called Myspace. Peter Levinsohn we hope you're not taking credit for this though. According to a report released on March 6 by Merrill Lynch, the firm anticipates that News Corp. will enjoy operating income growth in the double-digit realm over the next several years, outpacing several of the company’s peers - driven in large part by the surging ad prospects for MySpace. Up until recently, Merrill said it had not incorporated Fox Interactive Media (FIM) in its valuations, but based on the division’s recent performance, “we are now increasingly confident that News Corp. will be successful in monetizing its online presence,” says the report. Merrill Bullish on Fox Interactive Media [Mediaweek]

Poll: Which media couple was the best dressed media couple at the Oscars?

WHICH MEDIA COUPLE DRESSED TO KILL AT THE OSCARS? THE REDSTONES THE MURDOCHS THE MOONVES' THE FRESTONS THE IGERS

Wonder if Ross Levinsohn would have made the same play?

-Shomari Hines Ross Levinsohn's cousin, Peter Levinsohn is getting all strategic at Fox Interactive Media. The company dropped some cash on Strategic Data Corporation (SDC), an Internet advertising technology company indicating that FIM wants to cut its share out of the Internet ad pie. But we have to ask. If Ross Levinsohn was still at the helm of FIM, would this deal have happened? Or would FIM still be busy settling Youtube under its umbrella instead? Then again Rupe probably wouldn't have dropped $1.6 Billion for a two year old company. According to FIM officials, SDC has built a proprietary technology that provides Web publishers with the ability to better optimize its ad campaigns. FIM says that once SDC’s technology has been incorporated into its network of sites, it will be able to deliver highly targeted display ads on MySpace, IGN, AskMen.com and other sites. Fox has been criticized in the past for its lack of targeting options, particularly on MySpace, where its users provide a wealth of personal information on the site while generating billions of page views each month. FIM Acquires Internet Ad Tech Company SDC [MediaWeek]

News Corp down with the Bronx

We have no idea if he has ever been to The Bronx or even know what, or where it, is but Rupert Murdoch reportedly wants to get into the Bronx news business. After devouring 28 community newspapers in Brooklyn and Queens, the New York Post still has an appetite for local media properties.Sources say that executives from the News Corp.-owned paper are in talks to acquire the Bronx Times Reporter, one of the borough's leading publishers of community weeklies. News Corp. has made no secret of its interest in owning more weekly papers. In September, it acquired the Courier-Life chain in Brooklyn and the Times Ledger newspapers in Queens, for a reported $16 million. News Corp. in talks to acquire Bronx papers [NYB]

News Corp's planned Business news channel to be all lovey dovey with corporate america

This is exactly why Rupert Murdoch's soon to be launched Fox Business News won't be around long enough to make NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker sweat. Rupe and company are planning to be sweet on corporations unlike their soon to be rivals at CNBC. CNBC's lack of sweetness on Corporations (with the exception of Ms. "Money Honey" and the Citi guy) is exactly why they are who they are today. That and because they really have no competition. No one has ever accused CNBC, the cable TV home of Jim Cramer, Larry Kudlow and Maria Bartiromo, of being antibusiness. Until now. Yesterday, Rupert Murdoch confirmed one of the worst kept secrets in the media industry, that the News Corporation will start a long-awaited business news channel in the fourth quarter of this year. In doing so, he also took a shot at CNBC, the leading television business news outlet, vowing that the new channel would be friendlier to corporations. Fox to Begin a ‘More Business Friendly’ News Channel [NYT]

That annoying buzz is back again about News Corp's best kept secret

Rupert Murdoch continues to tease analysts and media followers about his long awaited Fox Business News Channel that will eventually fail. Over the past year or so, buzz about the channel has went up and down, even claiming one victim, a national newspaper that reported a launch was imminent when it wasn't. That could have been News Corp's plan the whole time in an effort to keep the buzz out there especially for its only would-be rival CNBC to hear. So when exactly will this business channel launch. They already did a carriage deal with Time Warner, now all they have to do is pull the curtains back and say Tadaaaa! The latest bout of mixed signals came Wednesday, with Murdoch and Chernin hinting that an announcement was close if not exactly imminent. Murdoch said during News Corp.'s latest quarterly earnings conference call that there will be an announcement "in the next week."But Chernin seemed to back off a bit, saying that the announcement should happen "soon" but declining to be more specific.Addressing the launch date, Murdoch tied it to the early fall, with Chernin saying only that it will happen "in the latter part of the calendar year." Murdoch renews Fox Business Channel buzz [Reuters]

Analysts attempt to predict Rupe and Barry's next move as they yap about their companies today

Suddenly Rupert Murdoch is an Internet big shot along side long time Internet big shots like Barry Diller. Analysts are speculating about what their next moves will be even if they love News Corp more than they do Diller's Interactive Corp. The head honchos of IAC/InterActiveCorp and News Corp appear to believe that the ability to deliver content and interact with audiences offers a strategically prescient opportunity. That's probably why we will see luminaries Barry Diller, chairman of IACI, and Rupert Murdoch, chairman of News Corp., each delivering keynote addresses at The McGraw-Hill Companies' 2007 Media Summit in New York City today and tomorrow, say Standard & Poor's analysts. Diller and Murdoch Work the Web [Businessweek]

King Rupe to spread the love among his kids

Media king Rupert Murdoch, reportedly will glaze the pockets of his kids with $100 million each of News Corp stock. We only hope the stock remains steady or that gift will go to shits really quick. The filings show that Lachlan Murdoch, Mr Murdoch's eldest son, received a sixth of the shares. Rupert Murdoch received two-sixths on behalf of his young daughters, Chloe and Grace, by his wife Wendi.A News Corp spokesman confirmed that his other children - Prudence, James and Elisabeth - had received the same share, although these were not specifically disclosed. Murdoch gives $600m to his children [FT]

Fresh News: Please, Please, Please someone wake us when this shit is over!!

Will we ever be Tribune free? Will this company ever make up its mind and either sell itself or keep itself or just die. Just when we thought all was well with Rupert Murdoch's reported involvement and all, here comes yet another road block to stop us from being Tribune free. An offer for Tribune Co. from its largest shareholder, Chandler Trusts, which was due to expire on Wednesday has been extended, a source close to the Chandlers said. Chandler Trusts, which in June urged Tribune to break itself up or consider a sale, two weeks ago proposed taking the company private in a deal valuing Tribune at $7.6 billion or $31.70 a share. Under the deal, Chandler would buy Tribune's newspaper business and spin off its broadcasting unit. Tribune offer from Chandlers deadline extended: source [Reuters]

Rupe 2.0. How many stories like this do we have to read before they get the point that we got the point?

We don't know and we can't put our finger on it, but we're so sure we read something like the story on News Corp boss Rupert Murdoch in the current issue of Forbes already. You know about his plans to remake News Corp into this new era digital -esque media company and blah blah blah. We're sure there are some new mentions like Myspace China and News Corp's recent finger in the whole pain in the ass Tribune madness though. But in late 2004 Murdoch and Chernin, watching the resurrection of Yahoo, the rise of Google and the shift of ad dollars to the Web, jumped back in. The best way to access the power of the Internet, they decided, was by inserting yourself where users already congregate. They were heavily influenced by the success of FoxSports, a once unexceptional Web site, after it cut a deal for prominent placement on Microsoft's msn network--and then saw traffic leap from 2.2 million to 10.4 million visitors per month. The two asked a group led by FoxSports manager Ross Levinsohn to round up a list of Web properties likely to be available. He came back with three targets: MySpace, then owned by a marketing outfit called Intermix; ign; and a site Chernin won't identify. Yo Ross!, we sure hope you're getting some kind of lifetime cut out of all the money Myspace is bringing and will bring to News Corp. One thing's for sure, they (Rupe & Pete) are really enjoying your work. Murdoch 2.0 [Forbes]

We wouldn't be surprised if they're also sniffing her office panties

5 Weeks after telling Judith Regan "Don't let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya" News Corp's book unit has yet to return her personal effect that she left behind in her office. Rupe's underlings are snooping so deep, that not even the report cards of Judith's kids are safe from prying eyes. "They have her financial statements, her will, her divorce papers, photographs of her children, unopened Christmas gifts, even her clothing," said the source. It is perhaps understandable that Regan, who brought $80 million a year in business to the Murdoch empire, would have so many private articles in her office. When she was summarily escorted out without warning Dec. 15, "it was by two armed sheriffs, who only let her take her purse," the source claims. Pinup emotions surface in wake of Regan's firing [NYDN]

Say it Aint So King Rupe

Is Rupert Murdoch really losing his kinglyness in media due to his known habit of pushing his opinions and views via his many media outlets? According to an article by Rik Kirkland this very well may be the road King Rupe is headed down. Rupert Murdoch Is the World’s Most Powerful Media Mogul. Not for long. The chairman and CEO of News Corp., who likes to view himself as an antiestablishment rebel, is today the ultimate insider. No other media executive has as much personal clout with world leaders, in part because none so willingly uses his moguldom to reward friends and punish enemies. Murdoch has helped elect—or defeat—at least two British prime ministers, several New York City mayors, and numerous American presidents, among others. He is also the ultimate global capitalist, an Australian-turned-American whose real home is his jet. With News Corp.’s ability to beam satellite programming to 40 million subscribers across the Americas, Asia, and Europe, along with its Fox movie and TV studios and cable network, newspapers from Hong Kong to New York, several book publishers, and a burgeoning Internet division, no other media company can claim greater global reach. Nearly half of News Corp.’s $25 billion in revenues last year came from outside the United States. Wonder what Rupe did to this guy? Think Again: Rupert Murdoch [Foreigne Policy]

King Rupe's Christmas snooze fest

King Rupe may be king of media, but according to a spy at News Corp's Christmas gathering, his parties aint all that..........kinda. from Gawker: Freelancers were most explicitly NOT invited to the News Corp. party Friday at the Hilton -- but of course I got in anyway! Though still waiting for the pictorial evidence herewith my review: The theme: Airport lounge, down to girls passing out peanuts and a line that materialized outside the Hilton at 6 p.m. but still took a good half-hour to negotiate. No one was asked to take off their shoes. The crowd: Very bridge, very tunnel. Diversity the NYT can only dream about. Never seen so many badly dressed women in one place. Think prom night in Las Vegas. Most of the guys in nice suits, and clearly happy to be able to be getting their ladyfriends tanked on free Cosmos prior to moving on when the joint shut at 11. The food: The "Europe" section of the party had the best chow -- fish and chips, baked ziti, fabulous pastries, under a 16-piece orchestra playing lugubrious Mozart ... there were ice pops in the "Latin America" section, but "Australia" ran out of shrimp way too early. The entertainment: My free henna tattoo still looks pretty good, and we all loved those two sistahs belting out "Proud Mary" on the karaoke stage in the "Asia" room. Rupert Murdoch was glimpsed, and I was thrilled to shake hands with News Corp's newest millionaires -- the two gents who sold their Brooklyn and Queens weeklies to the Man earlier this year. [Clifford Luster of TimesLedger and Steven Blank of Courier-Life. -- ed.] The Conversation: The question on most lips was whether you, too, had got the festive goodie bag, delivered to your workplace prior to the party. And yes, everybody did get the same thing: a DVD of the "Devil Wears Prada," a lightbulb, and a book, in a plastic bag. Apparently, if you're hosting 8,000 to 10,000 you've got to cut corners somewhere. But this was forgiven. After all, it's Christmas! News Corp. Holiday Party: Snooze Alarm [Gawker]

Weekend Wire: Rupert's OJ blitz outrages some of his employees

Fox News big mouth Bill O'Reilly and other News Corp minions are speaking out against there boss's decision to be the core of the whole OJ Simpson media blitz surrounding his controversial book "If I Did It". Fox plans to air a special hosted by Regan Books head Judith Regan and some News Corpers aren't too please. Bill O'Reilly said that he would boycott the program and won't buy the products of any company who sponsors the special. Major advertisers are also pulling away from the special as well, not wanting to be associated with any thing OJ. But why the big fuss? O'Reilly declared: "If every American walked away from the O.J. garbage, it wouldn't happen. I'm not going to watch the Simpson show or even look at the book," he added. "If any company sponsors the TV program, I will not buy anything that company sells - ever." All these people yapping away about boycotting the show and book, will all secretly watch it anyway. Because at the end of the day, we all want to know whats in the book. And for a man with a lot of skeletons in his closet Bill O'Reilly always seems to be front and center on issues like this. Hey Bill, why don't youu go straight to the bossman with this one? Rupe is in soup with troops [NYDN]

Rich First Wive's Club: A look at Rupert Murdoch's life

It is no secret that media Barron Rupert Murdoch has been around the block quite a bit. The man has been through more wives than Donald Trump and still manages to smile. Rupert also has some kids we don't hear of like Prudence Murdoch McLeod. Wonder if this one is on the Murdoch will that seems to be crowded with heirs to his fortune. The whole crowded will thing is what reportedly caused the fall out between Rupe and his boy Lachlan. Hell NBC's "Law & Order" even based an episode on the whole thing. Anyway we wanted to just take a look at Rupes life according to Wikipedia to see where he is coming from on a personal level and where he is going. The only one of his ex wives who seemed to have pulled off a big win is Anna Murdoch who pocketed US$1.7 billion in assets. We can only imagine what the current Mrs. Murdoch, Wendy Deng would get if the shit hits the fan.

Afternoon Wire: Ted Turner angry as usual, and more...

And now the afternoon's worthy media news: Rants of Ted Just when we thought we heard the last from Ted Turner, the mouth of the South comes back with his latest rants. This time around, in addition to is usual slaps at his former employer, Time Warner, old Ted takes some shots at Rupert Murdoch as well. "There is one person I don't like," he said of Murdoch. Turner lambasted Murdoch - whose net worth is $7.7 billion, according to Forbes magazine. More of the same........Kinda We are shocked to come across yet another article related to media spending sprees to buy internet companies. However this is a little different. In 2005, Richard Rosenblatt, then chairman of MySpace, sold the popular social-network site to Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.Today, Rosenblatt is on to his next gig. The company is called Demand Media, and it's what Rosenblatt describes as a new-media company. Rosenblatt has raised more than $200 million in the past few months, giving Demand Media a valuation that about matches the $580 million price Murdoch paid for MySpace. Rosenblatt plans on using those funds to buy up niche Internet companies, a strategy that several old- and new-media companies are pursuing.

Afternoon Wire: So is a Vivendi deal still doable or what?

Will Time Warner's Stock Remain Bewkerized? Now that the media giant's stock is showing signs of life, Wall Street of course has to pull a "Will The Momentum Last". If the stock is moving around for the first time in a long time, why won't investors just let it ride? It's questions like the above and the greed of Wall Street that puts pressure on Media execs and their company stock. Spoken like a true Republican Media mogul Rupert Murdoch did his part for the Republican party he so loves to rub elbows with at a recent speaking engagement and boy does he sound like a bus administration official."I believe it was right to go in there. I believe that certainly the execution that has followed that has included many mistakes," he said. "I think that one forgets that American foreign policy for the whole of the (20th) century saved the world from terrible things three times, for which they certainly got no thanks and for which they never had imperial ambitions at all." So what's really the deal with the rumored Vivendi Bid? So KKR made a sweet bid of $50 Billion to take over French media Giant Vivendi, but talks went down the toilet, or did they? Did the French Government in their bid to take on U.S. media giants behind the break down in talks. Do they want to keep Vivendi in French hands? If KKR does end up taking the company by the balls, would they look Tom Freston's way?

Saddamized: New York Post brings the hate again

Our two local tabs went head to head with their morning covers and headlines related to the death sentence of former Iraqi blah blah blah. The post seemed to have went all out clearly selling hate yet again with the head of Iraq's former strong man in a noose. We wonder if Rupert Murdoch handled the photoshopping on this one? The Daily News however continues to show why their circ is down and their paper is just not that exciting. Instead of trying to top the Post's hateful cover work, the News opted to go clean, with a nice headshot of Saddam with a headline that doesn't match. We think a picture of Saddam in a photoshopped hell would have been more appropriate. Note to Mort Zuckerman: Hate sells, Get with it! [NYDN] [NYP]

Who knew? Sumner Redstone could be humiliated

Sumner Redstone has a love life you know, he is probably a stud in bed too. The media mogul didn't reveal any of the above in Vanity Fair but he sure did, share his thoughts on weirdo movie star Tom Cruise and explained how his rival Rupert Murdoch, humiliated him leading him to can Tom Freston. VF takes us inside Grandpa Sumner's home and chats it up with him and wife Paula who is slowly but surely calling some serious shots of her own within her husband's media empire. An afternoon spent at the Redstone home doesn't entirely dispel the theory. Sitting in a straight-backed chair in the living room, attired in an unfortunate blue plaid jacket and black shoes, Redstone comes across as feisty as he did when he burst onto the financial scene, 20 years ago. But he looks frail and has a senior moment or three, losing his train of thought, repeating stories, and asking that a question or two be repeated. Still, he appears in total command, roundly attacking Cruise and, while emphasizing how much he admires Freston, trashing him nonetheless. He appears in command, that is, until the very end, when he stands to shake my hand and, to my horror, suddenly lurches to one side and begins to fall. This poor guy doesn't realize that he is just too old for the game. Sleeping with the Fishes [Vanity Fair] Photo: by Don Flood

King Rupe, digging Digg?

According to Techcrunch.com Rupert Murdoch is at it again in his never ending effort to rule the world. King Rupe and company is said to be in talks with Digg's owners about a possible deal, but the Digg guys are said to be asking for too much. It appears that rumors of the upcoming financing led News Corp. and possibly others to initiate acquisition discussions with Digg, and the discussions were subsequently opened up to other interested parties as well. No formal written offers for Digg were tabled, sources say, because Digg’s minimum sell price was at least $150 million. Digg Does The Acquisition Dance With News Corp. [TC]

Taking on big media even when you know you won't win

Two groups are challenging the FCC's recent easing of media rules which will allow old hands like Rupert Murdoch and Sumner Redstone to take even more control of what you watch, when you watch it and how you watch it. The Benton Foundation and the Social Science Research Council, are arguing that the little guy will be cut out of the pie if big media firms are allowed to swallow up more vehicles for delivery of entertainment, news, music etc. At the end of the day, sure the FCC will review the report submitted by these groups or so they say, but both groups know that the FCC, who is now in bed with the big media companies instead of policing them will rule in the direction they have already started moving in anyway. 2 groups challenge easing of media rules [AP]

Weekend Wire: Rupe's poison pill may work for now but.....

Rupert Murdoch is at rest mentally now that he doesn't have to worry about News Corp shareholder John Malone launching an attack to take control of the company he built. News Corp's shareholders voted to keep the "Poison Pill" defense strategy in place which prevents John Malone from increasing his shares in the company. But the pill is only through 2008, what will happen then? King Rupe is hoping that John Malone and company will take his offer, which calls for Liberty Media which is controlled by Malone to take News Corp's stake in Direct TV in exchange for Liberty's 19% stake in News Corp. But why would Malone take this bait when he could basically wait out the poison pill and take another run at increasing his share in News Corp in 08, or if he has big balls, which we think he does, take over the whole company. We don't know what Mr. Malone thinks of king Rupe but one person shot King Rupe straight during yesterday's News Corp meeting: Mr. Murdoch, I believe that you are a good man with solid values, said Lee Weil, the group's chairman, and yet News Corporation has clearly carved out a niche for itself by specializing in smutty, vulgar and violent entertainment, all in pursuit of profit. You should be ashamed but it's clear that you aren't. Cliff Kinkaid, the editor of the conservative group Accuracy News Corporation Shareholders Back Murdoch’s Takeover Defense [NYT]