What’s the succession plan for Murdoch’s empire?
The Inquiry
BBC
4.6 • 1.7K Ratings
🗓️ 15 October 2024
⏱️ 24 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
A court room in the US State of Nevada provided the setting for the recent hearing between media mogul Rupert Murdoch and his children, over who will inherit his empire on the 93 year old’s death.
The succession battle, worthy of the TV drama Succession, which was partly inspired by the Murdoch dynasty, was played out behind closed doors and it’s unlikely that the decision, when it comes, will be made available to the public.
Murdoch’s News Corp owns hundreds of newspapers and media outlets around the world. It includes the right-leaning Fox News in the US, which gave Donald Trump a major platform in the run-up to the 2016 Presidential election, as well as widely read newspapers like the Sun in the UK.
Speculation over who is most likely to take control of the multi-billion dollar business currently centres around the eldest son Lachlan Murdoch, the sibling most closely aligned to his father in terms of their vision for the future. But at this point the outcome all depends on whether legally such a takeover can happen.
So, on this week’s Inquiry, we’re asking ‘What’s the succession plan for Murdoch’s empire?’
Contributors: Walter Marsh, Journalist and Author of Young Rupert: The Making of the Murdoch Empire, South Australia David Folkenflik, Media Correspondent NPR News, Author of Murdoch’s World: The Last of the Old Media Empires, USA Reid Weisbord, Distinguished Professor of Law, Rutgers Law School, Visiting Professor, Columbia University, USA Alice Enders, Chief Economist, Enders Analysis, UK
Presenter: Tanya Beckett Producers: Louise Clarke and Jill Collins Researcher: Matt Toulson Editor: Tara McDermott Technical Producer: Nicky Edwards Broadcast Co-ordinator: Jacqui Johnson
(Image: Reuters/Mike Segar)
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Before you listen to this BBC podcast I'd like to tell you why I love |
| 0:03.7 | podcasting I'm Natasha Aronson I'm an assistant commissioner for the BBC and I work on |
| 0:09.4 | making podcasts my real passion is discovering unbelievable unheard stories and working with the biggest |
| 0:16.9 | stars who can really bring those stories to life. |
| 0:20.0 | I love the whole process of making podcasts from the spark of an idea to hearing the final edit. |
| 0:26.0 | There's nothing like it. |
| 0:28.0 | What makes BBC podcast special is that we're working for you. |
| 0:31.0 | So whatever we commission has to reflect the things that you care about and love, wherever you are in the UK. |
| 0:37.0 | So if you like this BBC podcast, there's so much more to discover. Have a listen on BBC sounds. |
| 0:42.0 | Welcome to the inquiry with me, Tanya Beckett. |
| 0:45.0 | One question, four expert witnesses and an answer. |
| 0:49.0 | Fox Patriarch Rupert Murdoch |
| 0:51.0 | Rupert Murdoch is in the middle of a fierce court battle with three of his eldest four children, James Prudence and Elizabeth. |
| 0:58.6 | On Monday, they along with the 93 old Murdoch were seen arriving separately at a probate court in Reno for the closed door case. |
| 1:07.0 | For several days in September, members of the Murdoch Dynasty descended on a secretive court in the US state of Nevada |
| 1:15.2 | to hammer out which of Rupert Murdoch's oldest four siblings should get to control |
| 1:20.4 | the assets of the multi-billion dollar trust he set up a quarter of a century ago. |
| 1:27.0 | Akin to an episode of the Block TV series succession, there was rivalry, intrigue, power, |
| 1:37.0 | oh and lots and lots of money at stake. |
| 1:42.0 | Over seven decades, the man at the center... stake. |
| 1:42.6 | Over seven decades, the man at the center of it all, media magnate Rupert Murdoch, has built an |
| 1:48.7 | empire which includes hundreds of newspapers and TV outlets around the world, counting among them the Wall Street Journal and the Times of London. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.