新湖畔网 (随信APP) | 专栏文章:福克斯新闻的未来不确定

新湖畔网 (随信APP) | 专栏文章:福克斯新闻的未来不确定
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2007年,鲁珀特·默多克将新闻集团和福克斯公司打造成全球传媒巨头。版权为AFP JAMIE MCDONALD

默多克家族严重争议可能导致新闻集团和福克斯新闻领导层和方向发生重大变化。里诺法院目前正在审理对立的默多克派系的案件。争夺的焦点是默多克家族信托基金,控制默多克的赚钱机器。

新闻集团的相关投票问题也正在由股东投票解决。信托目前持有41%的投票股份,其他股份无权投票。提出的想法是所有股份一人一票,这将完全重新配置投票结构。默多克仅持有总股份的14%,因此在数字上,环境大不相同。

新闻集团的其他利益相关方可能会将福克斯和整个新闻集团“推向左派”。这是一个重大问题。新闻集团以其严重倾向右翼而闻名,是特朗普和其他政客的主要平台。

福克斯新闻公司几天前花了高达7.875亿美元解决了一起损害声誉官司,民主公司是原告
福克斯新闻公司几天前花了高达7.875亿美元解决了一起损害声誉官司,民主公司是原告 - © AFP/File Frederic J. Brown

另一个问题是钱。就价值、分配和市场覆盖面而言,特别是福克斯很明显是收购的目标,如果股东投票支持新的投票权将发生变化。

这不太可能。股东投票不能强制改变投票权。这更像是一场公民投票。除非信托之间的争斗导致僵局,否则默多克家族不可能考虑以如此规模分割资产。

默多克对默多克可能是一场酒吧斗殴。公平地说,到目前为止一切相当文明,家族中没有人说太多话。目前这只是一场“争议”,而不是一场全面的战争。

鲁珀特和拉克兰是右派,其他人是左派,不管这是什么意思。一些评论人士认为放弃右派对新闻集团来说会是一场营销灾难。

考虑到福克斯极度偏见的美国政治报道以及与特朗普、马斯克等人的公开互动,这种评估可能是正确的。福克斯能否重新发明自己,变得与现在不同?也许不行。

福克斯新闻的记者在乌克兰受伤,据美国电视网报道
福克斯新闻。© AFP Cléa PÉCULIER

福克斯的收入稳定,利润有所增长,但目前略显停滞,根据各种报道。过去七年收入增长约40%。必须对将福克斯描述为商业方面的一些消极看法提出质疑。它似乎非常健康。

这自然是信托问题的主要问题。默多克并不是在分析腐烂的尸体。里诺的决定可能重新书写该企业和美国政治的剧本。

默多克营地缺乏狂热也表明这个案件完全是商业性质。他们并不试图破坏新闻集团或自己。他们不是在发动一场针对自己或自己企业的十字军东征。

鲁珀特·默多克很久以前说过,他满足美国保守主义市场的需求。同样的保守主义使新闻集团和福克斯成为今天的模样。自那以来,资金不断涌入默多克的钱包。

不要以为会有什么突然的裂痕或决定性的血战,法庭的辩论只会是艰难的谈判,这可能需要一段时间。无论是否喜欢他们,默多克知道如何做生意。

重要的是默多克能否在一起做生意,这才是关键问题。

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免责声明
本专栏中的观点属于作者个人。本文不代表Digital Journal或其成员的观点或意见。

英文版:

Rupert Murdoch, who built News Corp and Fox Corporation into global media powerhouses, in 2007 - Copyright AFP JAMIE MCDONALD

Big changes to the leadership and direction of News Corp and FOX News in particular could result from a major Murdoch family dispute. A court in Reno is currently hearing the case for the opposing Murdoch factions. The battle is over the Murdoch Family Trust, the controlling entity of the Murdoch moneymakers.

Related voting issues for News Corp are also being addressed by a shareholders’ vote. The Trust currently has 41% of the voting shares, and other shares can’t vote. The idea is a 1 for 1 vote for all shares, which would completely reconfigure the numerical voting structure. Murdoch only has 14% of the total shares, so numerically, it’s a very different environment.

Other stakeholders in News Corp could redirect FOX and News Corp as a whole “to the left”. That’s a big issue. News Corp is famous for being heavily committed to the right and is the main platform for Trump and other tourists.

Tucker Carlson was ousted from Fox News just days after the Rupert Murdoch-owned company paid a whopping $787.5 million to settle a defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion, an election technology firm
Tucker Carlson was ousted from Fox News just days after the Rupert Murdoch-owned company paid a whopping $787.5 million to settle a defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion, an election technology firm – © AFP/File Frederic J. Brown

The other issue is money. In terms of value, distribution, and market reach, FOX in particular is an obvious target for takeovers if the shareholder vote in favor of the new voting rights goes through.

That’s not very likely. The shareholder vote can’t force a change to voting rights. It’s more like a referendum. The Murdochs couldn’t possibly be thinking of splitting assets on that scale, unless the Trust fight leads to an impasse.

Murdoch vs Murdoch could be a barroom brawl. To be fair, it’s been pretty civilized so far, and nobody in the family is saying much, if anything. It’s a “dispute” at this point, not an all-out war.

Rupert and Lachlan are on the right. The others are on the left, whatever that means. Some pundits say that ditching the right would be a marketing disaster for News Corp.

Given the apparent market acceptance of FOX’s ultra-biased coverage of US politics and the public interplay with people like Trump, Musk, and others, that assessment may be right. Can FOX reinvent itself as anything but what it is? Maybe not.

A correspondent for Fox News has been injured in Ukraine, the US television network said
Fox News. © AFP Cléa PÉCULIER

FOX revenue is solid and profit is up a bit, but currently somewhat stagnant, according to various reports. Revenue has risen by about 40% over the last seven years. You have to question some of the more negative “interpretations” of FOX as a business. It seems pretty healthy.

That, naturally, is the main issue for the Trust issues. The Murdochs aren’t picking over a rotting carcass. The Reno decision could rewrite the script for the business and US politics in general.

The notable lack of hysteria in the Murdoch camp also indicates that this case is all pure business. They’re not trying to sabotage News Corp or themselves. They’re not on some crusade against themselves or their business.

Rupert Murdoch said long ago that he was catering to what he saw as an underdeveloped market in US conservatism. That same conservatism has piggybacked News Corp and FOX to become what it is. The money has been coming into Murdoch’s coffers in tides ever since.

Don’t assume there’ll be any sudden schism or anything but hardheaded negotiation in the court case, and that may take a while. Like them or not, the Murdochs know how to do business.

It’s whether the Murdochs can do business with each other that’s the crucial issue.

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Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this Op-Ed are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Digital Journal or its members.


Op-Ed: The future of FOX News is up in the air
#OpEd #future #FOX #News #air

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