Historical Figure
Rupert Murdoch
b. 1931
Australian and American business magnate (born 1931)
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Biography
Keith Rupert Murdoch is an Australian and American former business magnate, investor, and media mogul. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of local, national, and international publishing outlets around the world, including in the United Kingdom, in Australia, in the United States, book publisher HarperCollins, and the television broadcasting channels Sky News Australia and Fox News. He was also the owner of Sky, 21st Century Fox, and the now-defunct News of the World. With a net worth of US$21.7 billion as of 2 March 2022, Murdoch is the 31st richest person in the United States and the 71st richest in the world according to Forbes magazine. Due to his extensive wealth and influence over media and politics, Murdoch has been described as an oligarch.
In Their Own Words (5)
The current American political debate is profound, whether about education or welfare or economic opportunity. It is crucial that conservatives play an active, forceful role in that debate, but that will not happen if President Trump stays focused on the past. The past is the past, and the country is now in a contest to define the future.
Rupert Murdoch Tells Trump to STFU About 2020 Vanity Fair (November 17, 2021) , 2020
We're both looking forward to spending the second half of our lives together
Murdoch, 92, announced his engagement to Ann Lesley Smith, 66 in a New York Post interview, as cited in "Rupert Murdoch announces engagement to Ann Lesley Smith" The Guardian (20 March 2023). The intended marriage, which would have been his fifth, was called off within a few weeks. , 2023
While it's impossible to be completely prepared for a downturn of this magnitude, we began priming ourselves for a weakening economy earlier last year. We have implemented strict cost cutting measures across all our operations. We have reduced headcount in individual businesses where appropriate and we've scaled back on capital expenditures. Even in plush times, we have never been a company that tolerates fat. So in times like these, we are better positioned to weather this cycle than our competitors. News Corporation F2Q09 (Qtr End 12/31/08) Earnings Call Transcript
About News Corp. 6.4 billion quarterly lost in 2008-09 , 2008
They’ve started it. We’ve had bitter, personal attack on some of our people. They tried to destroy our credibility as a network. But it is only natural that the people can stand who were personally attacked and their children were personally attacked should fight back and I support them. I support my people completely. Countdown's Worst Person: Threats and Feuds Edition
Asked about feud between News Corp. with GE and MSNBC
Fuck Dacre. Publish.
Response to The Sunday Times editorial staff who asked whether they should continue to publish the paper containing the Hitler diaries referring to Lord Dacre (also known as Hugh Trevor Roper). He had previously authenticated them, but now declared they were fakes.
Timeline
The story of Rupert Murdoch, told in moments.
Four marriages. Built the largest English-language media empire in history. His newspapers and channels shaped elections in the U.S., UK, and Australia. Stepped down as Fox Corporation chairman in 2023 at 92.
Born Keith Rupert Murdoch in Melbourne, Australia. His father, Sir Keith Murdoch, was a war correspondent turned newspaper magnate. Rupert attended Geelong Grammar, then Oxford.
Inherited two Adelaide newspapers after his father's death. He was 21. Within a decade he owned papers across Australia. His formula: bold headlines, scandal, populist anger.
Bought the News of the World and The Sun in London. Turned The Sun into a tabloid. Introduced Page 3 girls. Circulation soared. The British establishment was horrified. Murdoch didn't care.
Became a U.S. citizen to satisfy legal requirements for owning American television stations. Bought 20th Century Fox and six TV stations that formed the basis of the Fox network.
Launched Fox News with Roger Ailes. The channel broke CNN's monopoly on cable news by targeting conservative viewers. Within six years it was the most-watched cable news network in America.
The phone-hacking scandal forced him to shut down the 168-year-old News of the World. His son James faced Parliament. Rupert was hit in the face with a shaving cream pie during testimony. His wife Wendi leapt to defend him.
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