CJR's guide to what the major media companies own.
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- News Corporation
- 1211 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10036 - www.newscorp.com
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Molded under the watchful eye of Rupert Murdoch, News Corp. continues to evolve and serve as a model for the modern vertically integrated media conglomerate. Aided by the acquisition of 20th Century film studio, News Corp. went from primarily a newspaper company in Australia and England to an influential force in American media. The Fox Network broke ground in the late 1980s as the first successful broadcast network to break through against the powerful Big 3. Recently, viewership for its Fox News Network surpassed the once formidable CNN. This proved to be another sign that American viewers favor News Corp.'s irreverent style.
- 1915
- William Fox leads successful fight against Thomas Edison's Motion Pictures Patents Company. The Patents Company is dissolved in the face of anti-trust legislation.
- 1931 (March 11)
- Rupert Keith Murdoch is born in Australia. Father, Keith Murdoch, is an established newspaper man in the country
- 1935
- Century Pictures and Fox Film merge to form 20th Century-Fox
- 1952
- Murdoch inherits Adelaide News, an Australian mid-size daily, and the Adelaide Sunday Mail
- 1960
- Murdoch's Australian newspaper holdings increase with the acquisition of Cumberland Newspapers, and Mirror Newspapers, Ltd., publishers of Sydney's Daily and Sunday Mirror
- 1964
- Murdoch launches The Australian as the first national newspaper
- 1969
- Murdoch takes over News of the World and launches London Sun
- 1972
- Murdoch purchases Sydney Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph
- 1973
- Murdoch purchases his first newspaper in the U.S.
- San Antonio Express and News
- 1974
- Enters the supermarket tabloid business by launching The National Star
- 1977
- Murdoch buys New York Post for $30 million from liberal socialite Dorothy Schiff. He continues his New York buying spree by purchasing New York magazine, Village Voice and New West from Clay Felker
- 1979
- Diversifies by acquiring Ansett Transport Industries which owns Melbourne TV station, Channel 10. Australia modifies media ownership laws to allow the deal. Critics call the move "The Murdoch Amendments"
- 1980
- News Corp. forms
- 1981
- Takes over Times and Sunday Times in London
- 1982
- Buys the Boston Herald-American and changes the name to Boston Herald. News Corp. also buys Australian book publisher Angus & Robertson
- 1983
- Sky, the first satellite TV channel launches. News Corp. buys Chicago Sun Times for $90 million
- 1984
- Murdoch and News Corp. make take over bid of Warner Brothers but are thwarted
- 1985
- Murdoch becomes United States citizen in order to purchase more American media outlets. Sells Village Voice. News Corp. buys TCF Holdings Inc., parent company of Twentieth Century Fox Film. In a related deal, News Corp. purchases seven television stations from Metromedia for $1.55 billion (WNEW-TV, New York; KTTV-TV, Los Angeles; WFLD-TV, Chicago; WTTG-TV, Washington, DC; KNBN-TV, Dallas; KRIV-TV, Houston, WFXT-TV in Boston. These stations reach 22% of all television households in the United States. These two deals help to form backbone of a new broadcast television network
- 1986
- Fox Broadcasting Company is established. News Corp. moves its UK newspaper printing operations to new plant in Wapping. A protracted labor strike ensues. Murdoch sells Chicago Sun-Times
- 1987
- Takes control Melbourne Herald and Weekly Times, Australia's largest media group. News Corp. becomes world's largest newspaper publisher. News Corp. also purchases the South China Morning Post, UK newspaper Today and United States book publisher Harper and Row. Murdoch now controlled approximately sixty percent of Australian newspapers and thirty-five percent of UK newspapers
- 1988
- Purchases Triangle Publications (main holding TV Guide) from Walter Annenberg for $3 billion. Sells off New York Post
- 1989
- Harper Collins is formed after newly acquired William Collins Publishing is merged with Harper and Row. The Simpsons becomes Fox Network's first hit program. Satellite television provider Sky TV is launched.
- 1990
- - BSkyB is formed after Sky merges with British Satellite Broadcasting. Accumulation of large debts leads News Corp. down the road to bankruptcy. Citibank, the company's prime lender, takes active role in saving News Corp.
- 1991
- News Corp. undergoes massive sell off to help lower corporate debt. The properties sold off include: New York, Seventeen, Soap Opera Digest, Soap Opera Weekly, Premiere, and Daily Racing Form
- 1992
- Buys broadcasting rights for the Premier League, an Australian rugby league, for $300 million
- 1993
- Gains controlling interest in Asian satellite television service, Star TV. Acquires the right to broadcast NFL games. The move shakes up American sports television as it leaves the NBC network without football coverage. Obtaining the NFL broadcasting rights costs over $1 billion but seen as a necessary investment to help promote fledging Fox Network. News Corp. reacquires New York Post
- 1996
- HarperCollins sells its education unit to Pearson
- 1997
- Acquires Los Angeles Dodgers and Dodgers stadium from the O'Malley family for $311 million
- 1998
- Orders HarperCollins to squash the memoirs of Chris Patten, Hong Kong's last governor and vocal critic of the Communist China government
- 1999
- Acquires William Morrow and Avon Books in a deal with Hearst
- 2001
- Sells stake in Fox Family Network to Disney. Duopolies established in Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Washington D.C., and Houston
- 2002
- Duopolies established in Chicago and Orlando
- 2003
- Puts LA Dodgers up for sale. Spends $6.6 billion for stake in Hughes Electronic, the parent company of DirecTV
- 2004
- Los Angeles Dodgers sold to real estate developer Frank McCourt for $430 million
- Television
- Cable Television
- FOX News Channel
- FOX Business Network
- FOX College Sports
- Fox Deportes
- Fox Movie Channel
- Fox Pan American Sports (33%)
- Fox Regional Sports Networks
- FOX Soccer Channel
- FOX Sports Enterprises
- FOX Sports Net
- Big Ten Network (49%)
- FSN
- FUEL TV
- FX
- Nat Geo Wild (71%)
- National Geographic Channel United States (71%)
- SPEED
- STAR
- Stats, Inc. (50%)
- YES network (49%)
- Fox Television Stations
- WAGA (Atlanta)
- KTBC (Austin)
- WUTB (Baltimore)
- WFXT (Boston)
- WFLD (Chicago)
- WPWR (Chicago)
- KDFW (Dallas)
- KDFI (Dallas)
- WJBK (Detroit)
- KRIV (Houston)
- KTXH (Houston)
- KTTV (Los Angeles)
- KCOP (Los Angeles)
- WHBQ (Memphis)
- KMSP (Minneapolis)
- WFTC (Minneapolis)
- WNYW (New York City)
- WWOR (New Jersey)
- WOGX (Ocala-Gainesville)
- WRBW (Orlando)
- WOFL (Orlando)
- WTXF (Philadelphia)
- KUTP (Phoenix)
- KSAZ (Phoenix)
- WTVT (Tampa Bay)
- WTTG (Washington D.C.)
- WDCA (Washington D.C.)
- Satellite Television
- BSkyB (39%)
- FOXTEL (25%)
- Sky Deutschland (49.9%)
- SKY Italia
- Sky Network Television Limited (44%)
- TATA Sky (29.8%)
- International Television Stations
- FOX Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America
- FOX CRIME Europe and Asia
- FOX LIFE Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America
- FOX MOVIES Asia and Middle East
- FOX NEXT Europe
- FOX RETRO Europe and Africa
- FOX SPORTS Europe, Africa, and Latin America
- FOX Telecolombia (51%)
- AQUAVISION PRODUCTIONS Africa
- Asianet (75%)
- BABY TV Europe, Asia and Latin America
- CHANNEL [V] India
- CHANNEL [V] Taiwan
- CHANNEL [V] Music Thailand (49%)
- ESPN STAR Sports (50%)
- FX Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America
- LAPTV (Movie City Pack, Cinecanal, and The Film Zone) (78%)
- National Geographic International Channels (52%)
- Nat Geo Adventure Europe and Asia
- Nat Geo Music Europe, Africa and Asia
- Nat Geo Wild Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America
- NHNZ PRODUCTIONS Asia
- Phoenix Satellite Television (18%)
- Premier Media Group
- Rotana (19%)
- SPEED Latin America
- STAR Chinese Channel
- STAR Chinese Movies
- STAR Chinese Movies 2
- STAR Den (50%)
- STAR GOld
- STAR Movies
- STAR MOVIES Asia
- Life OK (STAR ONE)
- STAR PLUS
- STAR UTSAV
- STAR World India
- STAR World Asia
- UTILISIMA Latin America
- Telecine (13%)
- Channel M Asia
- VIJAY (81%)
- VOYAGE Europe
- XING KONG (47%)
- Other Television
- FOX Broadcasting Company
- FOX Sports
- FOX Sports Australia
- FOX Television Stations
- MyNetworkTV
- Film
- Twentieth Century Fox
- Twentieth Century Fox Espanol
- Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
- Twentieth Century Fox International
- 20th Century Fox Television
- Fox 2000 Pictures
- Fox Music
- Fox Searchlight Pictures
- Fox Studios Australia
- Fox Studios LA
- Fox Television Studios
- Blue Sky Studios
- Shine Group
- Twentieth Television
- Fox Consumer Products
- Premium Movie Partnership (Australia and New Zealand - 50%)
- Newspapers (U.S.)
- New York Post
- The Wall Street Journal
- The Wall Street Journal Digital Network
- FSI (SmartSource Magazine)
- Newspapers (International)
- The Advertiser and Sunday Mail (Australia)
- The Australian (Australia)
- The Courier-Mail and The Sunday Mail (Australia)
- The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph (Australia)
- Gold Coast Bulletin (Australia)
- Herald Sun and Sunday Herald Sun (Australia)
- mX (Australia)
- The Mercury and Sunday Tasmanian (Australia)
- Northern Territory News and Sunday Territorian (Australia)
- Perth Now (Australia)
- Post-Courier (Papua New Guinea)
- The Sun (U.K.)
- Sunday Times (Australia)
- The Times and The Sunday Times (U.K.)
- Weekly Times (Australia)
- Dow Jones
- The Wall Street Journal
- The Wall Street Journal Asia
- The Wall Street Journal Europe
- The Wall Street Journal Radio
- The Wall Street Journal Digital Network
- The Wall STreet Journal Classroom
- Barron's
- Dow Jones Local Media Group (Ottaway):
- Cape Cod Media Group (MA)
- Cape Cod Times
- Cape Cod View
- Barnstable Patriot
- Hudson Valley Media Group (NY)
- Times Herald-Record (Middletown)
- Orange Magazine (Orange County)
- Nantucket Island Media Group (MA)
- The Inquirer and Mirror (Nantucket)
- Nantucket Today
- Pocono Mountains Media Group (PA)
- Pocono Record (Stroudsburg)
- San Joaquin Media Group (CA)
- The Record (Stockton)
- Seacoast Media Group (NH)
- The Portsmouth Herald
- The Exeter News-Letter
- The Hampton Union
- The York Weekly
- York County Coast Star
- South Coast Media Group (MA)
- The Standard-Times (New Bedford)
- The Advocate (Fairhaven)
- The Chronicle (Westport and Dartmouth)
- Middleboro Gazette
- The Spectator (Somerset and Swansea)
- The Fall RIver Spirit
- New England Business Bulletin
- Southern Oregon Media Group (OR)
- Medford Mail Tribune
- The Nickel (Medford)
- Ashland Daily Tidings
- AllThingsD.com
- BigCharts.com
- eFinancialNews
- Factiva
- Dow Jones Averages Dow Jones Client Solutions
- Dow Jones Companies & Executives
- Dow Jones Events
- Dow Jones Indexes
- Dow Jones Insight
- Dow Jones Investment Banker
- Dow Jones LP Source
- Dow Jones Newswires
- Dow Jones Private Markets
- Dow Jones Reprint Portal
- Dow Jones Watchlist
- Dow Jones VentureSource
- FINS.com
- Marketwatch.com
- SmartMoney.com
- Vedomosti (with Pearson and Independent Media)
- Virtual Stock Exchange
- Magazines
- Alpha (Australia)
- Big League (Australia)
- Inside Out (Australia)
- Donna Hay (Australia)
- Other News Properties
- News Corp. Digital Media
- News International
- Publishing
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Amistad
- Avon
- Avon A
- Avon Inspire
- Avon Red
- Caedmon
- Harper Design
- Ecco
- Harper
- Harper Business
- HarperLuxe
- Harper Paperbacks
- Harper Perennial
- Harper Perennial Modern Classics
- Harper Voyager
- HarperAudio
- HarperBibles
- HarperCollins e-Books
- HarperOne
- ItBooks
- Rayo
- William Morrow
- HarperCollins Children's Books
- Amistad
- Balzer + Bray
- Collins
- Greenwillow Books
- HarperCollins Children's Audio
- HarperCollins Children's Books
- HarperCollins e-books
- HarperFestival
- HarperTeen
- Katherine Tegen Books
- Rayo
- Walden Pond Press
- HarperCollins Australia
- HarperCollins Canada
- HarperCollins India
- HarperCollins New Zealand
- HarperCollins US
- HarperCollins UK
- Zondervan
- Online Properties
- AmericanIdol.com
- AskMen
- BrandAlley UK (49%)
- careerone.com.au
- CARSguide.com.au
- Fox.com
- FoxSports.com
- FoxSports.com.au
- Fox Audience Network
- hulu.com (32%)
- kSolo
- Milkaround
- News.com.au
- News Digital Media
- Scout
- truelocal.com.au
- WhatIfSports
- Other
- NDS (49%)
- News America Marketing
- last updated 2/14/2013
