Murdoch Son Gets New Post at News Corp.

Lachlan Murdoch, the 25-year-old son of News Corp. Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch, has been promoted to managing director of the media conglomerate’s Australian operations, News Corp. said.

Lachlan Murdoch and his older sister Elisabeth Murdoch have been given high-ranking posts in their father’s empire as they move into consideration as successors to the News Corp. leadership.

Lachlan Murdoch succeeds Ken Cowley as managing director of News Ltd. effective immediately. Cowley will remain executive chairman of the division.

* Michael Fuchs, former head of Time Warner’s HBO and Warner Bros. music operation, is steering in a new direction. Auto-By-Tel, an online automotive service headed by longtime Southern California auto dealer Pete Ellis, disclosed that Fuchs is a major investor in the company. The announcement came as the service announced it has raised $15 million in a private placement of preferred stock.

Other investors are GE Capital Services, American International Group and ContiFinancial Corp. The company did not detail how much of the preferred stock each investor bought.

Fuchs said he was introduced to Ellis and the investment by a mutual friend, Wall Street investment banker Bob Grimes.

* Entertainment lawyer Scott Edel was named as a managing director to run the new Los Angeles office of Air-Edel, a London-based music production and talent representation firm co-founded by Beatles producer George Martin and Edel’s father, Herman.