Stories related to: Rupert Murdoch

Publisher Rupert Murdoch took a critical step towards control of the Wall Street Journal last night, as the Dow Jones board voted to approve a $5 billion sale of the company to the media magnate. Whether the majority-owning Bancroft family will also approve the deal is too close to call, the Journal reports. More »

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. is days away from acquiring the Wall Street Journal , according to the Journal itself. The company has reached a tentative agreement with Dow Jones, whose board will vote on it tomorrow night. After that, all is left is sealing the elusive approval of half the Bancroft Family, who are scheduled to meet this Thursday and reach a final decision next week. More »

Two members of the Dow Jones-controlling Bancrofts are making last-ditch efforts to block Rupert Murdoch from buying the Wall Street Journal publisher. Christopher Bancroft is frantically trying to gather the $2.55 billion he'd need to buy 51% of voting shares and block the sale on his own, while his cousin Leslie Hill is desperately soliciting competing bids. More »

With 30 million potential viewers already lined up, News Corp. will launch its new Fox Business Network on October 15. The cable channel will make its debut whether or not the pending Dow Jones deal is done, the Motley Fool reports, with Neil Cavuto at the helm and the onetime CNBC talking head's ex-employer in its sights. More »

Supermarket billionaire Ron Burkle and former MySpace CEO Brad Greenspan may join forces to make at least a partial bid for the Wall Street Journal 's parent company, say sources close to the discussions. The pair met yesterday with members of the Dow Jones board to craft an alternative to Rupert Murdoch's $5 billion proposal, though accounts detailing the potential offer differ. More »

As Rupert Murdoch tries to finalize a deal to take control of Dow Jones, the company is making a last effort to find an alternate buyer, pushed by a holdout director, Leslie Hill, who's a member of the controlling Bancroft family. The Wall Street Journal reports that among those being wooed are supermarket billionaire Ron Burkle and MySpace co-founder Brad Greenspan. More »

Rupert Murdoch has succeeded in his bid to take over Dow Jones, according to a report in a British financial magazine . The Wall Street Journal publisher is denying the report, although The Business cites inside sources who say the $5 billion deal will be formally announced next week. More »

A watchdog committee, not would-be owner Rupert Murdoch, would hire and fire editors under a tentative pact to protect the editorial independence of the Wall Street Journal ,  a source familiar with details of the deal tells MarketWatch. Members of the panel would be chosen by Murdoch's News Corp., Dow Jones, and the Bancroft famiiy. More »

Wall Street Journal employees around the country were intentionally late for work today in a job action to protest News Corp.'s impending purchase of Dow Jones. The union representing reporters coordinated the demonstration, Forbes reports, to give a collective thumbs-down to Rupert Murdoch and to protest recent developments in ongoing labor talks with the company. More »

Rupert Murdoch won't raise his $5B bid for Dow Jones, the media mogul said today. Murdoch deflected speculation that he would up the ante to move along negotiations with the openly skeptical Bancroft family, which owns a majority stake in the Journal publisher. Instead, Reuters reports, Murdoch is suggesting he could balk if the Bancrofts dither. More »

A plan to safeguard the Wall Street Journal 's editorial independence awaits the approval of the Bancroft family now that Dow Jones and News Corp. have "basically agreed" on an arrangement, a source tells Reuters. The Bancrofts still must approve the deal, which also applies to Dow Jones Newswires and removes a significant obstacle to Rupert Murdoch's $5 billion bid. More »

Rupert Murdoch's imperial ambitions in China have been marked by relentless cozying to its communist regime—motivated by equal parts opportunism and sinophilia—the Times reports. Murdoch's China outlets have toed the party line energetically, and the mogul, whose wife is a high-powered mainlander, has even personally lashed the Dalai Lama. More »

Rupert Murdoch's bid for Dow Jones may have seemed to come out of nowhere, but the Australian media mogul has had his eye on the Wall Street Journal for years. In three decades in the States, Murdoch has made his mark in news, entertainment, and, of course, politics. The Times takes the measure of an impressive set of tentacles. More »

Rupert Murdoch appears close to a deal that could pave the way for his takeover of Dow Jones' Wall Street Journal —a coup that seemed out of the question weeks ago, the New York Times reports. The deal is designed to safeguard the newspaper's editorial independence from Murdoch, who has a reputation for sensationalism. More »

General Electric and Pearson may yet work out an arrangement that takes advantage of their business-media assets, but their plans don't involve Dow Jones. The companies said today they won't pursue a deal with the Wall Street Journal publisher, brightening the outlook for News Corp.'s $5 billion offer, Pearson's Financial Times reports. More »

After more than a month of dithering by the Bancroft family, the Dow Jones board will take over negotiations with News Corp., greasing the skids for Rupert Murdoch's effort to acquire the company. With a $5 billion bid on the table, the board decided to "take the lead in addressing all aspects of the proposal," the Wall Street Journal reports. More »

Members of the Bancroft family would retain a stake in Dow Jones after selling a majority interest to GE and Pearson if one possible arrangement plays out, media outlets owned by the players are reporting. The Wall Street Journal outlines a venture incorporating Dow Jones, Pearson's Financial Times, and GE's CNBC; the FT reports that GE intends to move quickly. More »

Another would-be Dow Jones suitor emerged this afternoon: Pearson, which publishes the Financial Times. In a media-company-news hall of mirrors, the Wall Street Journal reports that Pearson is searching for partners in its "longshot" bid and has approached Hearst and GE; the FT reports that its parent company has "sounded out" GE, which owns CNBC. More »

The Wall Street Journal employees' union, in search of a white knight as Dow Jones and Rupert Murdoch appear to be moving closer to a deal, has enlisted the help of supermarket billionaire Ron Burkle. News Corp. has offered $60 a share for the company, and one analyst tells Bloomberg, "I'm skeptical Burkle and the union can compete with Murdoch." More »

Rupert Murdoch has renewed his vow to maintain the Wall Street Journal 's editorial independence should his bid for Dow Jones succeed, but it's unlikely he'll allow the controlling Bancroft family to run an editorial oversight board. That sticking point could be a deal-breaker, the Journal reported hours before today's scheduled meeting between the parties. More »