Rupert Murdoch Put His Son in Charge of Fox. It Was a Dangerous Mistake.

[Dennis Donovan]

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/22/business/coronavirus-fox-news-lachlan-murdoch.html

The 48-year-old Lachlan Murdoch stood by as Fox News hosts played down the danger of the deadly coronavirus to their viewers.

By Ben Smith

March 22, 2020

The chief executive of Fox News, Suzanne Scott, reacted swiftly to the threat of the coronavirus in late February: She ordered the bright, open new offices disinfected, installed hand sanitizer stations around the office and boldly canceled the company’s major ad sales event.

But her influence doesn’t extend to the most important part of Fox News: its programming in prime time.

There, for two crucial weeks in late February and early March, powerful Fox hosts talked about the “real” story of the coronavirus: It was a Democratic- and media-led plot against President Donald J. Trump. Hosts and guests, speaking to Fox’s predominately elderly audience, repeatedly played down the threat of what would soon become a deadly pandemic.

The person who could have stopped the flow of misinformation was Ms. Scott’s boss, Lachlan Murdoch, the chief executive of the Fox Corporation. But he wasn’t paying much attention. The 48-year-old heir to his family’s media fortune was focused instead on buying a streaming company called Tubi for $440 million, a person who has spoken to him said. The acquisition would drive “long-term growth,” he proudly announced in a news release on March 17.

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[underpants]

1. "Succession" HBO

I don't know if that is really based on Murdoch but anyone who watches it has to see the parallels. The old man created this and there's not anyone but spoiled rich kids to take it over.

[Dennis Donovan]

2. I've witnessed that pattern before

...at my place of work. The business was started by a returning WW2 vet from a poor neighborhood in Lynn, MA who used the GI bill to get his electrical engineering degree. He started a small computer firm in 1968 that grew into one of the largest medical software companies in the country today.

His 4 sons took over when he retied in the late 80's, and they, too worked very hard - as hard as everyone around them - and grew the company from 30 employees (when I started with them in 1993) to over 300.

They're all approaching retirement age now and wanted to hand the company over to *their* children, but none of them want any part of it (other than dividend checks ) because it would require them to *work*. So, they're going to sell the company for lack of successors.

It became such a mess that I resigned last fall and was going to start my own thing up in IT or Home Automation.

Then the pandemic struck.

[Sherman A1]

3. Yup,

Third generation often kills a company.

[hatrack]

8. Coals to Coals . . . .

Or, as the Japanese saying goes, "The third generation puts up the 'For Sale' sign in beautiful calligraphy."

[Dennis Donovan]

9. It's the generation that gets spoiled the most

Grandpa grew up poor, but became successful over time. He raised his sons with the values and the work ethic he learned when he was poor, so they continue the work ethic as they ultimately take over and make the company more successful. But, they raise their children in luxury, give them cars and condos, so this generation (incidentally, Millennials) lacks the work ethic of the previous two.

[gordianot]

4. It will be interesting to see how Fox responds to economic collapse.

[empedocles]

5. fox will follow fox viewer polls?

[tman]

6. Garbage headline that implies Rupert Murdoch himself is not a grave danger to America

For it's reckless content aired over the years.

Typical NYT.

[HAB911]

7. I had hopes the sons might be a little better

but no