Activities In The United Kingdom
Murdoch acquired the News of the World in 1968 after buying it from the Carr family. Murdoch’s friend from college, Stephen Catto, asked him if he was interested in purchasing News of the World. The News of the World was the most popular and lucrative British newspaper at that time. The newspaper was the dirtiest periodical in Britain despite its venerable age; hence the Londoners called it Screws of the World or News of the Screws. Rupert Murdoch expanded to the outer non-Australian world when the News of the World became his property in 1969. The News of the World newspaper stopped publication in July 2011 after being in the print business for 168 years as a result of the scandal of phone hacking. The News of the World’s editors were accused of engaging in indecorous actions and phone hacking to obtain stories for the newspaper.
Robert Maxwell, a Member of Parliament and book publisher, wanted to purchase The Sun in a bid to increase his presence on Fleet Street. He ensured the publication of “honest news” to the International Publishing Corporation (IPC); hence, the Labor Party would continue to get support from the paper. However, the International Publishing Corporation declined Maxwell’s proposal. Murdoch bought The Sun, an old London newspaper, in 1969, for £800,000. The newspaper underwent a series of transformations at Murdoch’s possession, hence becoming the brightest example of his market penetration. During Murdoch’s purchase of The Sun, the newspaper aimed at the supporters of the Labor Party and demonstrated a pretension to intellectuality.
The Sun turned into a mass tabloid when it became the property of Murdoch. It had the press context of standard “yellow”, including sensations, sports and sex. The Sun stayed above its competitors as a result of encouragement from the popular taste for erotica, which was proliferating. Also, the third page of the newspaper contained pictures of topless models. Murdoch purchased The Daily Telegraph, a tabloid newspaper of Sydney, in 1972 from Frank Packer. Murdoch purchased the Times Newspaper, a British company, in 1981. The Times Newspapers issued The Sunday Times and The Times. Murdoch began his British television marker conquest in the late 1980s and at the beginning of the 1990s. In 1989, Great Britain launched Murdoch’s satellite company called Sky Television.
Activities In The United States
Rupert Murdoch entered the US market in the 1970s. Murdoch acquired two Texas-based daily newspapers called San Antonio Evening News and San Antonio Express from Hanks Harte for 19 million USD. Murdoch later merged the two newspapers under one name called San Antonio Express-News. Also, he successfully purchased The New York Post in the 1970s at a cost of $ 12 million. Later, he bought the New West and the New York Magazine. The Cruden Investments Company, named after his grandfather’s Scottish church congregation,n represented the major part of Murdoch’s empire by 1977. Murdoch, his three sisters and his mother jointly owned the Cruden, which controlled 40 per cent of News Ltd shares. The News Ltd regulated the Australian enterprises’ work. The ownership of News Ltd in News International Ltd was 48 per cent. It was in charge of the British portion of the business. News Ltd and News International Ltd combined constituted 100 per cent of Murdoch’s assets in the United States. Rupert Murdoch consolidated the two companies into the worldwide News Corporation in 1979 when he became a member of the board of directors and the General Director. Later, he became the chairperson of the board of directors in 1991.
Murdoch entered the television market in the United States in the 1980s. The Australian entrepreneur received American citizenship in 1985 since foreigners were forbidden from owning local TV channels by American laws. After obtaining his citizenship, he bought the regional TV channels. The regional TV channels were consolidated into Fox Broadcasting, a fourth national TV network in the US later. He also acquired the 20th Century Fox Corporation in the same year. Rupert acquired The Herald American, which was owned by Hearst Corporation, in 1982 and prevented its closure. The News Corporation acquired Dow Jones & Company in 2007 for $ 5 billion.
Political Contributions Of Rupert Murdoch
The mass media of Murdoch has played a significant role in politics. The media play the editorial role in the campaign papers and provide financial contributions to political parties. Murdoch provided financial support to Gough Whitlam of the Labor Party. The Murdoch’s mass media supported consecutive Prime ministers John Major and Margret Thatcher in Great Britain. The News Corporation expected close to $ 28 million in lobbying the United States federal government between 1998 and 2007. News Corporation directly contributed $ 4.7 million to political parties and politicians during the same period.
Conclusion
Murdoch started expanding his media empire in the 1950s when he inherited the Adelaide media business from his father. He became a master of mass media because of his constant struggle for improvement, development, growth and desire for expansion to new horizons. He expanded his media business from Australia to the United Kingdom and the United States. Murdoch used the acquisition strategy to expand his empire. The multiple acquisitions made his newspaper holdings grow over time. For instance, he bought the Mirror newspaper and The Sunday Times in Australia. He acquired several tabloids in the United Kingdom, such as The Sun and The News of the World. He also accomplished a series of acquisitions in the United States, such as the New York Post and San Antonio News. The News Corporation he owns is a major player in the media industry. The public has benefited from the expansion of Murdoch’s media empire.
