Murdoch dishes on Fox News feuds with White House, MSNBC
Filed under: News Corp.
Rupert Murdoch wants everyone to know that Fox News doesn't start playground fights -- but it's not afraid of them, either. On a conference call to discuss News Corp.'s (NWS) fiscal first-quarter earnings, the 78-year-old chairman, dialing in from Sydney, Australia, was asked about reports that Fox News had agreed to a "cease-fire" in its war of words with MSNBC, and about a recent White House effort to isolate and discredit his network.
"We did not start this abuse, which we thought went way beyond," Murdoch said about the hostilities with MSNBC, implying that it was the rival network's commentator Keith Olbermann and colleagues who had initiated them. "It was personal and went way beyond -- not on me but on others. Finally, we had to allow people to retaliate. The moment they stop, we'll stop. We don't believe in it, and we don't think it's good business."
"As for the tensions with the White House," he continued, "I think they overplayed it. It's probably been good for us in terms of ratings."
Murdoch noted that other news networks voiced support for Fox after Obama Administration officials attempted to bar the channel from a pool interview with executive pay czar Kenneth Feinberg. "All our competitors...immediately went to the White House and complained and said, 'This is not the way to treat anybody in the media,'" Murdoch said.
Murdoch was also asked about a pledge he made on last quarter's earnings call that all News Corp. news websites would adopt pay models by the end of the company's fiscal year in July 2010. He took the opportunity to back down from that goal. "We are working all very, very hard at this, but I wouldn't promise we're going to meet that date," he said. It's a work in progress and there's a huge amount of work going on."
The media conglomerate had a decent quarter, saying its quarterly profit rose 11 percent to $571 million, or 22 cents per share, from $515 million, or 20 cents per share, a year earlier, topping Wall Street's expectations. News Corp. shares closed more than 1 percent higher at $13.65.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 15)
11-04-2009 @ 8:41PM
James Miller said...
Murdock cares not one iota about the US. He's about the money and the bottom line. He has ruined the news in this country, and the left has unfortunately followed his lead. Assie viper. He is a waste of good air. We now have a country of bikering mindless idiots producing more idiots everyday. So much for the untarnished facts. Where's Walter when you need him.
Reply
11-04-2009 @ 11:29PM
bravedavies said...
sweet...... but true
11-04-2009 @ 11:56PM
dee said...
You wanna talk about fox news which you probably never watch? Watch it and find one lie being told. I dare you! I watch all the news stations and listen to all the BS. I can tell you first hand that Fox is the most balanced news on the planet. It may not meet your agenda but YOU will not find a lie. MSNBC is off the chart and does not inform the american people. They have an agenda! CNN is more balance but way to one side. Like I said I watch them all and I have enough sense to think on my own and check facts. Study up and at the end of the day no matter what kool aid you are drinking both political sides are corrupt and NOT one of them give a rats ass about YOU. Both political parties are liars and thieves. They have stolen our country and our money. That is the fact!
11-05-2009 @ 6:21AM
hatfield said...
that is called free-market enterprise and I love it. You can make it happen, you can watch it ,or you can wonder what the heck happened. You have a choice in America, which one is you??????????????????
11-05-2009 @ 9:12AM
Rap48 said...
One lie bign told. Lets see there was a picture of President O looking at a young ladies behind which was doctored, it led to OB being called a pedofila.
Death squads??? Fema's camps??? O'Bama the Moslim, O'Bama the kenyan???
Vidder the Democrat.
Any day of the week the lies told are really too many to count. I actually watched a Rep, vote against Bush's UN pick on C span. The Repubs then took it off the table. With in 5 minutes Fix announces that the Dems had stopped the pick.
11-05-2009 @ 10:20AM
John said...
Murdock doesn't care about the US? I think you've trimmed the roster far too greatly James. How about all of those jerks who yell, scream and carry on during their supposed news commentary shows?
I get completely amazed when I watch those shows. They have so many experts on their payrolls who are otherwise unemployed at this time. Why should anyone care about their comments? If they were any good at all, I'm sure they would have been pursued and hired by the many companies in need of real visionaries.
It sounds like Olberman started the war of words. Now here is a classic. He was a terrible sports reporter on ESPN (still is on NBC), and then somehow got on with MSNBC. In this role he is still arrogant, snively and so ofter very biased, not a good reporter or commentator at all. I don't blame Murdock or anyone taking on that buffoon. Most networks would have fired him by now but NBC has always proven that they have no idea of what is desired, right, or needed by viewers.
I don't care if Murdock is an Aussie, that has nothing to do with accuracy or ethics.
11-05-2009 @ 10:33AM
hsw said...
Replace Murdoch's name with George (move on) Soros and your bullsh*t statement makes some sense.
11-05-2009 @ 10:39AM
rann948 said...
Walter is dead. But before that, he was sniffing the butts of the Kennedys and other rich democrats.
11-05-2009 @ 11:19AM
Richard said...
Thank you for your clear understanding of this issue. I think you were too kind to Fox but that is because I think an honest news media is the backbone of democracy.
11-05-2009 @ 11:17AM
KNUTE9 said...
When the news media becomes the news because of reporting opinions instead of reporting events then it has degraded itself as mere entertainment.
11-05-2009 @ 11:33AM
dexturner2007 said...
Fox is self a proclaimed vehicle for commentary, opinions, and right wing agendas. The only problem in this, America the land of the free and the First Ammendment, is that people actually think it is news when O'Reilly and others state their opinions and GOP presented talking points. It's not Murdoch's fault, or Fox's fault... it is the fault of the uneducated fools we call the American public.
11-05-2009 @ 11:38AM
Kay said...
You make absolutely no sense. Would you rather no one question our government? If so, watch ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC. Did you complain when those stations were dumping on Bush? Was it OK then but not now? Do you even watch FOX? Or are you just one of the lock-step liberals who will swallow anything this administration throws at you? Freedom of speech is still alive whether Obama liked it or not.
11-05-2009 @ 11:49AM
amndamay said...
You have no idea what you're even talking about. Why dont you point out ONE untrue statement made on fox? Just ONE?????
11-05-2009 @ 12:55PM
donna said...
The only idiots are those who do not watch fox news.If they did this country would not be in the mess it is in. I am so tired of people who are jealous of other peoples success. Try going out getting a job and a life.
11-05-2009 @ 1:23PM
dellavar said...
Amen, Jimmy, well said.
11-05-2009 @ 12:29PM
me64250 said...
I couldn't have said it better myself.
11-05-2009 @ 12:33PM
Dave said...
"Murdock" maybe not, but the "Murdoch" in the article does.
11-05-2009 @ 1:15PM
Jill Dawson said...
An your a idiot sooooooo
11-04-2009 @ 9:38PM
ssgchester said...
Of course what the Bush administration did, like salting the journalist pool with their own plants, "free speech" zones, using the Secret Service to "screen" and remove people from Bush's speeches and town hall meetings is just not mentioned now is it?
Fox always was for that.....
But what's more interesting is that both FOX and MSNBC are owned by the same parent company....
And who is the owner of that?
Yup........
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11-04-2009 @ 9:47PM
al said...
You don't have a clue. MSNBC and Fox are definitely not ownwd by the same parent company.