One Year On: Murdoch Dances, News Corp Mourns

Purchase of Dow Jones came at worst possible time
Posted Dec 16, 2008 7:42 AM CST
One Year On: Murdoch Dances, News Corp Mourns
Les Hinton, CEO of Dow Jones & Co., talks in his office Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008 in New York, a year into its takeover by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.   (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

Those hesitant Bancrofts who sold the Wall Street Journal to Rupert Murdoch last year have something to smile about this Christmas. Murdoch may be delighted with his new toy, but News Corp.'s share price has plunged 61%, farther than even perennial underperformer Time Warner. One year after its acquisition of Dow Jones, the New York Times Breaking Views column rather gleefully estimates just how much the Journal really cost.

As the financial sector reels and the newspaper industry crumbles, Dow Jones has probably lost about half of its $3 billion value since 2007, when Murdoch paid a pretty $5 billion to acquire it. That means that News Corp. has ceded $3.5 billion to the Bancrofts—a price that Murdoch might be able to stomach, but his shareholders might not.

Read These Next
Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X