Rupert Murdoch has been described as a tyrant as Bloomberg TV's Game Changers program documentary on the media tycoon reveals - (worldeconomicforum at http://www.flickr.com.- photo )

Video Beat EXTRA - Part 1 - RUPERT MURDOCH & ROSS DUNKLEY DOCUMENTED

Richard Ricciardi - National Radio Text Service

This past weekend the Bloomberg and Australian TV Networks presented documentaries of Rupert Murdoch. According to the reports the two men have four things in common that are being in the news business, Australian decent, play the game of politics and ruthless in their business dealings. The two major differences are one has billions and the other has just millions and one is profiled more in detail while the other's background remains shrouded in mystery. - Recommended TV Listings

Tuesday January 10, 2012

IN THE NEWS

When it comes to journalism Rupert Murdoch is recognized as the William Randolph Hearst of this era. During the summer one the pieces of his news empire News of the World came under fire and went out of business when their poor judgment of snooping and wire tapping came to light. The paper folded but Murdoch marches on as a major control freak in the media business. That is the synopsis that was presented in his portrayal in Bloomberg's Game Changers program.

The 80-year-old International media tycoon is profiled from the time he inherited his business after the death of his father in 1952 when his was just 22-years-old. He stood tall on his own developing his strength by standing by his decisions in a win some, lose less career.

During his college days at Oxford University he was a believer in the communist system and made no secrets about it. He took the taunts from his college mates gaining him the nickname Red Rupert but the Australian remained firm in his beliefs. His staunchness to his not so popular beliefs would eventually lead him to be the most powerful person in the media business who didn't give a damn what people thought as in his point of view his decisions were absolute. With that attitude he went on to build one of the most powerful media corporations of all time.

Murdoch rise in the business germinated in Australia but he chose to go onward and upward and go abroad to Europe and the United States where he became firmly entrenched.

Murdoch made his first acquisition in the United States in 1973, when he purchased the San Antonio Express-News. Soon afterwards, he founded Star, a supermarket tabloid, and in 1976, he purchased the New York Post. On September 4, 1985, Murdoch became a naturalized citizen to satisfy the legal requirement that only US citizens were permitted to own American television stations. This resulted in losing his Australian citizenship. Also in 1985, Murdoch purchased the 20th Century Fox movie studio. In 1986, he purchased six television stations owned by Metromedia. These stations would form the nucleus of the Fox Broadcasting Company, founded on 9 October 1986.

When Murdoch bought 50% the 20th Century Fox Film Company for $500 million from Marvin Davis it was deemed that he was a fool to get into a business other than the print media industry for which he was well recognized as had success and made a ton of money. That was the turning point of the Game Changers documentary as Peter Chernin the former boss of Murdoch's News Corporation, and Chairman and CEO of Murdoch's Fox Entertainment Group pointed out.

Murdoch refused to be interviewed for the show but Chernin and other former Murdoch employees reflected their experiences working for a man depicted as ruthless and unrelenting in obtaining what he wants and like it or not usually got it.

Chernin said that if Murdoch believed in what you were doing and were about that he would stick by you. He would be the type of guy you would want to be in a foxhole with (in a war).

Chernin worked 12 years for Murdoch as President and Chief Operating Officer of News Corporation and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Fox Group, where he oversaw the global operations of the company's film, television, satellite, cable, and digital media businesses. Earlier in his tenure with the company, Chernin headed Twentieth Century Fox Filmed Entertainment, as well as Fox Broadcasting Company. He had oversight of Fox's tremendous growth in sports, cable and general entertainment television programming and distribution in the U.S. and internationally.

Chernin noted that Murdoch was familiar with the film business having owned a television station in Australia. As a result of that experience Murdoch was familiar with the business in making licensing agreements with the film studios and television networks in obtaining licensing agreements.

Murdoch eventually bought the remaining 50% of Fox from Davis and turned a millions of dollars investment into billions. When he started the Fox television network to compete with the big three NBC, ABC and CBS he defied all odds to make something out of nothing as he built his network by purchasing television stations and making an agreement with mogul Ron Pearlmen to carry the Fox Network on the stations Pearlman owned. With a foundation of stations Murdoch made a bold move by outbidding NBC for the rights to televise the NFL (National Football League) in 1993.That move gave the network major market share ad stabilized the network in exemplifying that they could and would compete with the big boys.

In the process of growing his business empire he defied his detractors in taking no prisoners as in the documentary author Michael Wolff noted that Murdoch recognized that in business someone must die for him (Murdoch) to live.

It was that attitude Murdoch embraced when he went after the Wall Street Journal and CNN (Channel News Network). CNN was owned by Ted Turner and the two reviled each other. Turner refused to sell CNN to Murdoch but took a fall when he eventually sold to AOL Time Warner and he himself was pushed out the door in a power struggle.

To compensate for his inability to purchase the news network Murdoch started Fox News which over the years has gained attention for its political and confrontational views. Like it or not the network became successful and has become very influential in the way that people think about politics.

When Murdoch made overtures to purchase the Wall Street Journal he was met with strong opposition as his background didn't match up with the pristine history and direction of the company that had been recognized as being the best at what they do for over a century. His efforts were dismissed in a haughty manner by the family that owned the business since its inception. Murdoch refused to accept defeat and eventually won out and purchased the publication.

His ruthlessness came into play later on as he went back on his promise not to change the publications personnel or direction and quality of content. He eventually replaced staff with his own people. In the process he created more enemies.

The documentary strongly points out that the man with the iron fist of rule does it his way or you can take the highway method of doing business. He controlled his media business consisting of print, film and television but then Murdoch made another bold move when he ventured into sports by purchasing the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team in the MLB (Major League Baseball).

CONTINUED - MURDOCH MARCHES ON BLUNDERS AND ALL - ROSS DUNKLEY PLAYS HARDBALL

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