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Murdoch rumored to be after the New York Times.

By: Moe Lane (Diary)  |  February 25th, 2009 at 11:23 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

(Via Patterico) Not at all likely, but definitely funny:

Murdoch on the prowl for print sales

NEW YORK — Rupert Murdoch’s counterintuitive quest to invest in print media helped drive away longtime lieutenant Peter Chernin.

And now that Chernin can’t intercede, does Murdoch want to follow News Corp.’s $5 billion buyout of Dow Jones by gobbling up the struggling New York Times Co.?

The answer appears to be yes, as impossible as present economic conditions make it for most deals of any kind to get done.

…if only for contemplating the panic that such a move would produce among various and sundry members of the Left. But it is Lent, so I should be nicer about it; besides, it’d never happen anyway. Murdoch already owns enough media outlets in NYC to set off monopoly warning bells in various regulatory agencies; another one would freak them out. For that matter, the family that’s currently running the NYT into the ground would probably call in an airstrike on their own position before they let Murdoch have their newspaper. Besides, what would he do with it, once he had it? Wear it as a hat?

OTOH, Patterico is doing a qualified perk-up at the thought of Murdoch acquiring the LA Times.  Given the depressing (albeit self-imposed) job he has right now of calmly reporting the slow-motion destruction of that paper as it implodes, I can’t say that I blame him overmuch.

Moe Lane

Crossposted to Moe Lane.

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COMMENTS

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  • JoeG

    He could wait another year and get it even cheaper.

  • djemi

    With all those jobs he would be Saving

  • E Pluribus Unum

    It’s hard to think of much that would be more galling to the lefty loons than this.

    Sadly, it’s doubtful he’d come in and fire the whole lot of the jerks like he ought to.

  • http://brockwayfamily.spaces.live.com/ Erick Brockway

    Could be a fun and interesting hobby!

  • jackbenimble

    I’m sure this move would give the left some serious heart-burn. But the right should not get particularly over-joyed. About the best that we can hope for is a little schadenfreude and perhaps a return to the center left sanity that was the New York Times 30 years ago.

    Rupert is no conservative and not necessarily even on the side of the right. His main motivation is making money and he is good at it. With Fox and the New York Post he saw the right as an under-served market segment and scored big. It was about marketing not ideology. But lately he has pretty much jumped in bed with Obama.

    I would certainly feel better about the New York Times being owned by an Australian billionaire then a Mexican billionaire. Murdoch actually became a USA citizen but I don’t think these billionaires feel any loyalty to anybody but themselves. Likely, because he has a major stake in the USA economy, we will benefit from a little more goal congruency with Murdoch then we would from Carlos Slim.

  • tankertodd

    Besides, what would he do with it, once he had it? Wear it as a hat?

    I got many, many ideas on what else Murdoch could do with the New York Times but I might set a record for the number Redstate.com rule infractions made in a single comment.

    If Murdoch was a sole proprietor perhaps he could enjoy buying it just to destroy it slowly and methodically. But unfortunately under the evil corporation model he has to focus on building shareholder value and serving his investors. Lousy capitalist model.