The Murdoch Mission: The Digital Transformation of a Media Empire - Hardcover

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

WENDY GOLDMAN ROHM is an award-winning journalist and bestselling author of The Microsoft File: The Secret Case Against Bill Gates. She has served as correspondent for numerous national and international publications, including Talk magazine; the Financial Times (UK); Wired; the New York Times Syndicate International; the Chicago Tribune; the Boston Globe; Los Angeles Times; Interactive Week; and PC Week. Rohm has also appeared on numerous national television and radio broadcasts, including the Today show, CNN, CNBC, BBC Radio, NPR's Marketplace, and more. Rohm lives with her daughter in Evanston, Illinois. She welcomes correspondence at: wwendyrohm@cs.com

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A true legend in his own time, media baron Rupert Murdoch is one of the world's most visible and controversial figures in business. Infamous for his high-risk ventures, Murdoch has proven skeptics wrong many times over as his investments and unlikely gambles more often than not have brought him both influence and fortune. And there's no indication Murdoch's going to slow down any time soon, as he continues to shape his News Corp.-- one of the most powerful media companies in the world-- for the global challenges of the new millennium.

The Murdoch Mission is an unprecedented inside account of Murdoch's headline-making efforts to transform his empire for the digital age-- assisted by his young sons Lachlan and James, who have been placed in leadership positions by their father. Award-winning journalist Wendy Goldman Rohm presents a dramatic narrative of the Murdoch family and News Corp.'s strategic forays into digital media and broadcasting, new Internet-based businesses, and the creation of the biggest enterprise of Murdoch's career: the multibillion mammoth Sky Global Networks.

Through interviews with Murdoch, his sons, corporate officers, senior executives, and business partners, Rohm documents how Murdoch changed the rules in the most difficult media markets-- and how he made enemies as his bold ventures sparked fear, jealousy, and even paranoia. Among the highlights, Rohm provides fly-on-the-wall accounts of: * Murdoch's battles to wrest control of DirecTV, the U.S. satellite TV giant, from General Motors' Hughes Electronics * The forging of News Corp.'s delicate relationship with Microsoft and a multibillion-dollar partnership between Rupert Murdoch and Bill Gates * How Murdoch effects the equivalent of continental shifts--implementing technology throughout the world that pushes new media into new arenas * News Corp.'s exploration of the next phase of the digital revolution, driven by Murdoch's intuitive talent at forging intimate, direct connections to consumers * The real relationships between the Murdoch brothers and the rest of the Murdoch family--based on the author's direct observations and interviews versus rampant mythology about this fascinating clan * James and Lachlan Murdoch's roles in some of their father's most critical business endeavors * Murdoch's rationale and philosophy in scaling back overinflated Internet ventures while continuing to pump investments in new interactive platforms via the television set

Rohm also presents an insightful portrait of the man behind the maneuverings, dispelling the myths and unveiling the complexity, drive-- and an unusual form of ruthlessness mixed with joie de vivre-- that make up one of the most influential business leaders ever to step into a boardroom. She explores what lies in store for News Corp., providing an exclusive look into the expected turnover of the empire to the Murdoch heirs, with Murdoch keeping a careful eye on the legacy he will leave behind.