News Corp. empire crumbling around MURDOCH

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http://gawker.com/5480363/the-fall-of-the-house-of-murdoch?skyline=true&s=i

The Fall of the House of Murdoch

.... Sure, News Corp. reported a better-than-expected $250 million profit last quarter on the strength of Fox News and Avatar, and all indications are that it has weathered the recession intact. But Murdoch's lifelong crusade has always been about more than just money—it's been about acquiring power, routing enemies, and the glorification of his own ego. And he has always accomplished those goals surrounded by a merry gang of corporate bandits, happily slitting throats and cutting deals with a vicious and entrepreneurial esprit de corps traceable to Murdoch's own tyrannical mien. It was an extraordinarily well-run company, guided by an iron fist.

No more. "It's terrible now," a News Corp. insider tells Gawker, relating the slow, Shakespearian devolution of Murdoch's fierce machinery into turmoil, factionalism, and infighting. The old man, nearing the end of his reign, no longer inspires enough fear or loyalty within his own ranks to keep the jostling for power beneath the surface, and a Lord of the Flies ugliness abounds. Roger Ailes has transformed Fox News into a highly profitable rogue political operation, jeopardizing Murdoch's most prized asset—his access to political power—with an unending stream of volatile rhetoric. His longtime consigliere and liaison to the Democratic power structure, Gary Ginsberg, decamped last year and just joined Time Warner. Matthew Freud, his own son-in-law, is lobbing bombs at Ailes in the pages of the New York Times. And Murdoch himself, though spry by any standards for a 78-year-old, is showing his age: His leadership has become unfocused, insiders say, and he's made a bizarre string of public statements, from agreeing with Glenn Beck that Barack Obama is a racist to claiming he never said that a few days later to blaming New York's political woes on Gov. David Paterson's blindness. The internal turmoil has led the News Corp. insider to commit the unforgivable sin of speaking of Murdoch in the past tense: "He had a good run."

The growing factionalism within News Corp.'s ranks as Murdoch nears the end of his days is likely to be the topic of a New York magazine story on the company, by reporter Gabriel Sherman, that is set to run next week. Sherman's nosing around has sparked considerable chatter in Murdoch-land, and insiders are said to fear that it may begin to shake loose some of the crumbling edifice of Murdoch's empire. .... (Four delish paragraphs more at link)


Send an email to the author of this post at john@gawker.com.

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K&R

Never underestimate the popularity of low standards and pandering.

Take a close look at their ratings demographics: their audience is dying out:

According to a study released by Magna Global’s Steve Sternberg, the five broadcast nets’ average live median age (in other words, not including delayed DVR viewing) was 50 last season. That’s the oldest ever since Sternberg started analyzing median age more than a decade ago — and the first time the nets’ median age was outside of the vaunted 18-49 demo…

Among ad-supported cable nets, the news nets (along with older-skewing Hallmark Channel, Golf Channel and GSN’s daytime sked) sport the most gray, with Fox News Channel’s daytime and primetime skeds the absolute oldest, clocking in with a median age above 65.

By the way, MSNBC’s “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” does the best in cable news primetime among the most desirable younger demographic, but according to numbers from last season, the average “Countdown” viewer is 59 years old, and 55 percent of its audience is male.

http://www.pensitoreview.com/2009/05/05/average-age-of-fox-news-viewer-is-65/

Therefore, Faux News may have a lot of people watching, but they're primarily the of the retired (read "fixed income" to an advertiser) variety and not as desirable to advertise to as younger (read "working with income" to an advertiser).

I still contend that a lot of Faux's viewership is as phony as their news stories. I think they count all the people forced to watch their drivel in barber shops, car repair shops, airport lounges and other waiting areas.

long gone--and P1 viewers (in businesses and hotels etc) won't prop any of them up forever.

so that they don't have to pay any "death taxes" ...

Fox is doing just fine, selling us our own deaths.

states. With only MSNBC or CNN as the new source, over faux with faux blocked. Somehow we have to get the message out farther and wider. It would be a crazy idea if, but we had Nadar dedicate a whole book to this idea and I concur. If they lvoe their coutnry and all it did to make them adored by many globally least they can do is work to save it. It all is an investment because whover they help becomes an undying fan automatically.

Wanda Sykes "With a black President people thought that maybe we can get some free cable." Yeah, why not??