Fox Will Be No. 1, Murdoch Tells Press

Rupert Murdoch, chairman and chief executive of News Corp., the parent of Fox Broadcasting Co., made a surprise appearance Wednesday before a gathering of television critics in Los Angeles to proclaim that recent upheavals in management and the network’s historic raid of 12 major affiliates would help Fox become the No. 1 network.

“We are clearly at a pivotal moment in the evolution of the Fox Co.,” Murdoch said as he addressed the opening session of the Fox portion of the Television Critics Assn. summer press tour at the Universal Hilton, where journalists preview new fall shows.

“We now have our sights set not only on being the fourth network, but on being the leading network in the nation,” he said. He touted the acquisition of National Football League broadcasts, the success of the Fox Children’s Network and “the strongest prime-time lineup in Fox’s history” as key reasons he felt Fox would gain supremacy over ABC, NBC and CBS.

Murdoch alluded briefly to the departure last week of Lucie Salhany, Fox Broadcasting Co. chairwoman, who resigned after repeated clashes with Murdoch and Fox Television Chairman and Chief Operating Officer Chase Carey. Salhany was said to have been increasingly unhappy under Murdoch’s hands-on approach and Carey’s increasing involvement with her division.

“We have to keep an eye on the future,” he said. When asked for details about Salhany’s resignation, he declined to respond, saying it would be “unfair and inappropriate.” He said Carey would take over Salhany’s responsibilities.

Carey told the writers that the purpose behind the restructuring “was to position the company to take advantage of our unparalleled strengths in our combination of business and assets.”

During the session, Murdoch also took a few shots at CBS, saying the rival network “has some real problems on their schedule. Their shows are looking pretty tired.” He said he felt moving the Fox hit “Melrose Place” from Wednesdays at 9 p.m. to Mondays at 8 p.m. this fall would be successful because the veteran CBS shows on Monday had lost their strength.

Murdoch added that he was as surprised as anyone at the failure of the proposed merger between CBS and QVC, which came apart Tuesday after a rival bidder offered $2.2 billion for the home shopping network.