Lauren Rich Fine On Rupert Murdoch’s Newspaper Addiction
Newspaper and internet analyst Lauren Rich Fine retired last year after 19 years with Merrill Lynch. Her post-ML activities include Practitioner in Residence at Kent State University’s College of Communication and Information and the Advisory Board of the Poynter Institute.
Rupert Murdoch is
I'm not sure I agree.
I think Murdoch's agenda has to do with his understanding that in terms of marketing, content is king. He is attempting to control as many content producing companies as possible (papers, tv stations etc) , so that he can offer advertisers media slots = make moeny for his shareholders.
In theory, it shouldn't matter how this content is published: online, print or TV.
The ownership of multiple papers – the ability to print and deliver them together, coupled with his new huge state-of-the-art printing plant, will enable him to reduce production costs and improve the content's freshness.
Being the owner of the world's largest and most advanced printing plant, makes Murdoch the most suitable person to bring the printed media back on its feet and generate cash once again.
I don't think it's personal. Sure, he can influence the content, but what he cares most for is making money. The content he offers will be of the exact type the majority of readers are interested in. That is what he cares about in my opinion.
I agree– Murdoch is all about controlling the content. It's what every media site needs to survive. If he controls major content sources, his influence and options are pretty wide.