James Murdoch clears hurdle in bid to hold onto power at News Corp.
James Murdoch cleared the first hurdle in his bid to hold onto power in his father Rupert’s company, News Corp., when he was retained as head of Britain’s largest pay-TV provider despite questions about his handling of the phone-hacking scandal that has engulfed the media empire.
In London, the board of British Sky Broadcasting, which provides TV service to 10 million homes in Britain and Ireland, reaffirmed its support Thursday for James Murdoch to continue as chairman. The move was a bit of good news for the Murdoch clan after three weeks of daily drubbings in rival newspapers and pointed questions from members of Parliament.
“I would not say that we have an all-clear sign,” said Doug Creutz, media analyst with Cowen and Co. “But at least as far as BSkyB is concerned, they seem to be signaling that this situation might begin to recede, allowing investors to move forward.”
Rupert Murdoch’s 38-year-old son, however, remains under pressure. It is unclear whether the phone-hacking scandal could ultimately force James Murdoch out of his job as News Corp.’s deputy chief operating officer — the No. 3 executive role within the company — or scuttle Rupert Murdoch’s plans to eventually hand control of News Corp. to his children.
British lawmakers have said they want James Murdoch, who has run News Corp.’s European operations since 2007, to answer more questions to determine whether he was truthful last week when he told a committee of Parliament that he was unaware of the extent of the phone hacking at News Corp.’s London tabloid News of the World until late last year.
Two former underlings have publicly contradicted his remarks. They said the bespectacled scion was briefed two years earlier — in 2008 — about reporters’ rampant use of illegal techniques to ferret out scoops. The Parliament committee that questioned James and Rupert Murdoch last week is expected to meet Friday to form a strategy on how to proceed.
More sordid allegations emerged Thursday. London’s Guardian newspaper reported that News of World reporters might have intercepted messages left on the cellphone of the mother of a slain 8-year-old girl, Sarah Payne. The mother accepted the cellphone from the then-editor of the tabloid, Rebekah Brooks, to stay in touch with supporters. A prominent Parliament member called the revelation “a new low.”
News Corp. responded with a statement: “News International takes this matter very seriously and is deeply concerned like everyone. As the facts are established, the company and the independent Management and Standards Committee will take all appropriate actions, including cooperating fully with any potential criminal enquiries or civil proceedings which may arise.”
The company has paid a stiff price for the News of the World phone-hacking scandal. It shut down the 168-year-old tabloid — the first newspaper that Rupert Murdoch bought outside his native Australia — and shelved its $12-billion bid to acquire the remaining 61% of BSkyB that News Corp. doesn’t already own. Buying BSkyB outright was to be one of the mogul’s crowning achievements and further solidify News Corp.’s position as one of the world’s dominant media companies.
Wall Street has long been concerned about Rupert Murdoch’s history of overpaying for properties he wants, including the Wall Street Journal and social media website Myspace. Some investors also are troubled that Murdoch is intent on grooming his children, who some argue lack the experience needed to manage such complex operations.
“This whole situation has really highlighted the risks of investing in Rupert,” media analyst Creutz said. “In the long run this company would be better off if it were run by management more responsive to shareholders’ concerns, rather than controlled by this family.”
Rupert Murdoch has six children by three wives. He has long been grooming his three children by his second wife, Anna Murdoch Mann, for leadership roles in the company, including his second daughter, Elisabeth Murdoch, who this spring sold her British TV production company to News Corp. for $675 million.
Initially Rupert Murdoch tapped his oldest son, Lachlan, 39, for leadership. But after being outmaneuvered by high-level executives, Lachlan Murdoch in 2005 quit as News Corp.’s deputy chief operating officer. He moved to Australia, where he has invested in media ventures and runs a television network. He remains a director on News Corp.’s board.
James Murdoch, the youngest son, joined News Corp. in 2007. The Harvard dropout has been described as intelligent but brash. He is credited with a solid performance as chairman of BSkyB. In March he was elevated to deputy chief operating officer of News Corp. and was in the process of moving to New York, the company’s headquarters, when the phone-hacking scandal erupted.
He has had oversight of the company’s Asian and European operations, including London newspapers, since 2007. In that role, he approved several settlements — one for more than $1 million — to victims of phone hacking. James Murdoch said this month that he did not have enough information when he authorized the payments.
The News of the World debacle might have increased tensions in the relationships among the siblings, according to people close to the company.
Family dynamics are key to the palace intrigue because each of Murdoch’s four adult children (including daughter Prudence by his first wife) have equal votes in the Murdoch Family Trust, according to people familiar with the arrangement. The trust holds Rupert Murdoch’s voting shares in News Corp., which gives the family control of the company.
Chief Operating Officer Chase Carey is a favorite among investors as Murdoch’s successor. Although Carey is not seen as having Murdoch’s vision, the Harvard MBA is respected on Wall Street and is viewed as a decisive and unsentimental.
“He’s not going to push his own son out and he’s not going to jump himself until he’s good and ready,” a former high-level News Corp. executive who asked not to be identified said about Rupert Murdoch. “People have been assessing Rupert’s next move based on what a normal company would do. But anyone who buys News shares knows what they’re buying: They are buying Rupert and his family.”
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