Who's Afraid of Rupert Murdoch?

TV Hub

A look at Rupert Murdoch's drive to establish the first global telecommunications network, and how his success in media has been dogged by controversy over journalistic standards and political influence.

Transcript

00:00:00So, who is Rupert Murdoch?

00:00:06Ruthless, aggressive, buccaneering.

00:00:09Just an incredibly successful entrepreneur?

00:00:12One powerful dude.

00:00:14Or is he the robber baron of the information age?

00:00:16Rupert has no geographical boundaries now.

00:00:19Maybe you should know.

00:00:20I don't think Rupert believes in government.

00:00:22Dangerous character.

00:00:23Rupert wants to be king of the world.

00:00:26Tonight, correspondent Ken Oletta asks who's afraid of Rupert Murdoch.

00:00:34Funding for Frontline is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

00:00:40And by annual financial support from viewers like you.

00:00:46This is Frontline.

00:00:56All rise.

00:01:04All persons having business with the United States District Court, draw near.

00:01:11Raise your right hand and repeat after Judge Martin.

00:01:15I hereby declare

00:01:18I hereby declare

00:01:20On oath

00:01:21True faith and allegiance to the same

00:01:22Once a week, immigrants from across the globe come to a lower Manhattan courtroom

00:01:27in search of the American dream.

00:01:29Of whom or which

00:01:30I have heretofore

00:01:34Rupert Murdoch dreamed of starting a new television network in the U.S.

00:01:38But there was an obstacle.

00:01:40He was a foreigner.

00:01:41No problem.

00:01:43He became an American.

00:01:44And so on September 4th, 1985

00:01:50this new citizen Murdoch

00:01:53was free to expand his media empire

00:01:56throughout the United States.

00:01:59Run VT, mix.

00:02:01Fox has rewritten all the rules.

00:02:04And the next revolution

00:02:05Operating on six continents

00:02:07Rupert Murdoch is like no media mogul ever.

00:02:10One man controlling TV

00:02:11cable

00:02:12Satellites, movies, books, magazines, internet access, and newspapers.

00:02:20Murdoch's ruthless, aggressive,

00:02:22buccaneering, incredible entrepreneur,

00:02:24and someone who nobody is neutral about.

00:02:29By following one man's vision.

00:02:31My idea.

00:02:32I think he feels he's been the underdog fighting against the establishment.

00:02:37That he has won through providing people what they want.

00:02:40Power of foresight.

00:02:41That's what he's built his empire on.

00:02:43He indulges and makes his money off sex and sensationalism.

00:02:48I think he's driven by a genuine desire to be extremely rich.

00:02:57He is partially motivated by power.

00:03:00He loves the idea that presidents and prime ministers pick up the phone and call him and say,

00:03:05you know, Rupert, you could be a big help to me if and so.

00:03:08You could smile at the end.

00:03:09News Corp.

00:03:10A leader in the rapidly expanding global media market.

00:03:15Murdoch is someone who seems to have been allowed to grow unchecked,

00:03:20like, you know, like some sort of monster in a science fiction movie, The Blob or something.

00:03:24And you keep waiting for somebody to sort of shape him up and push him back in.

00:03:30But it doesn't happen.

00:03:34Murdoch has been warring with rules and regulations his entire life.

00:03:39He scorns government interference, seeing himself as an anti-establishment, free market buccaneer.

00:03:47I don't know.

00:03:48I've only read the rumors on the papers.

00:03:49I'll help you.

00:03:49In the spring of 1995, the FCC was threatening to clip his wings.

00:03:57The claim was that he had subverted the rules on foreign ownership and had misled the commission.

00:04:06To me, Rupert Murdoch remains as fascinating and sometimes frightening

00:04:10as he did when I first started writing about him two decades ago.

00:04:15Forget it.

00:04:16Move on.

00:04:16We will not take, it will be unfair to take.

00:04:18After first agreeing to take part in this documentary, Murdoch reneged, saying he distrusted PBS.

00:04:25You don't want a waiver, don't need a waiver.

00:04:26He did talk to me, however, for a profile I was writing for The New Yorker.

00:04:33He can be what one most admires in a businessman.

00:04:37Bold, decisive, and willing to take the long view.

00:04:40But he is feared because what he produces can be viewed as toxic to our culture and our democracy.

00:04:48Rupert has no geographical boundaries now, which makes him a vastly more important and perhaps dangerous character than any press lord, media baron, who's ever come down the pike.

00:05:03This global tycoon grew up a privileged boy on the other side of the world.

00:05:11It was here at Australia's elite Jalong boarding school where the seeds of Murdoch's anger against the establishment were first planted.

00:05:21I vow to thee, my country, all earthly things are mine.

00:05:30As the son of a prominent newspaper man, he was shunned by the sons of Australia's establishment.

00:05:36He was unhappy and he was rebellious, made few friends, because those who came from old money felt that Rupert Murdoch somehow coming from the newspaper world was, you know, not quite their equal.

00:05:51I suppose the point about Sir Keith Murdoch is that he was incredibly successful as a journalist and as building a huge empire held in the weekly times, the most powerful media organization in Australia.

00:06:14And he was looking to continue the Murdoch dynasty in newspapers.

00:06:18But Keith Murdoch's son and heir showed scant signs of promise.

00:06:26As a teenager, he liked to sneak off to the local racetrack.

00:06:32He's a bit of a larrikin, as we would refer to it in Australia, a person who's unconventional, a bit rough around the edges.

00:06:45He's always been, and I would think even in those days,

00:06:48he's reputed to have been a good gambler.

00:06:49Sometimes he even took the book.

00:06:53A good gambler is a person who will cut his losses if the situation is going against him, won't just double up and double up and double up.

00:07:01And Rupert, right throughout his career, has done that.

00:07:04He had one other schoolboy passion, newspapers.

00:07:14It was almost in a sense of an extra subject for him to study.

00:07:19Newspapers really gripped him in a sense that the average reader of a newspaper doesn't have.

00:07:25At school, he helped to publish a magazine called, if revived.

00:07:36He would be able to immediately say, this is well made, this is a good layout, this is a bad layout.

00:07:44If young Rupert's interest in newspapers pleased his father, his sophomore politics did not.

00:07:52His mother once told me a story about how Rupert used to get under his father's skin

00:07:59by uttering Leninist statements at the dinner table and starting arguments with his father.

00:08:06And the one phrase that particularly Ryle Keith Murdoch, or Sir Keith Murdoch as he was known then,

00:08:14was Rupert's characterization of Lenin as the great teacher.

00:08:19In 1950, Murdoch went to Oxford University, where he found himself an outsider once again.

00:08:26When he arrived at Oxford, he was not that well received.

00:08:30He was just another Australian from down under.

00:08:32So he responded to that.

00:08:34He responded to that kind of snubbing he got and became very anti-British.

00:08:38He was very interested in politics and radical politics in particular,

00:08:45and he had a bust of Lenin on the mantelpiece.

00:08:51He was self-confident, arrogant, cocky, rich, and seemingly to the English a communist.

00:08:59And the whole mixture, the cocktail, obviously got a number of his fellow students offside.

00:09:05I doubt he had very much knowledge of who Marx was at the time,

00:09:09but he thought the poor got a raw deal and that kind of thing.

00:09:12But he didn't stretch very far, I think.

00:09:14I mean, he wasn't ever going to be a social worker.

00:09:21Murdoch made a real effort to have a good time.

00:09:24He loved driving out to country pubs and sleeping late.

00:09:29Even then, he was intrigued by politics.

00:09:31But when he ran for office in the labor club,

00:09:35he got in trouble for breaking rules that frowned upon self-promotion.

00:09:39He went out and campaigned, plastered Worcester College with circulars and handbills

00:09:45and passed out brochures and what have you,

00:09:49promoting his candidacy, and he was disqualified for that reason.

00:09:54He breaks the rules sometimes of gentlemanly conduct,

00:09:56and he's made a career of doing that.

00:09:58But Murdoch's Oxford days were suddenly interrupted.

00:10:09In October 1952, he rushed home to Melbourne.

00:10:18Sadly, he arrived too late for his father's funeral.

00:10:22His father was an extremely successful newspaper manager.

00:10:26He never had a big share of the equity,

00:10:30but he built up quite a considerable empire.

00:10:33But of course, when he died, he wasn't actually able to leave Rupert much.

00:10:37So, as it turned out, he only got one paper, not a particularly important one.

00:10:43In his will, Sir Keith said he hoped that Rupert would spend a useful,

00:10:48altruistic life in newspapers and broadcasting.

00:10:52If, he added, the trustees considered Rupert worthy of that support.

00:10:59According to his mother, his father was somewhat critical of Rupert as a young man,

00:11:03and occasionally questioned whether Rupert had it in him to take over whatever his father had built.

00:11:13To gain some practical newspaper experience,

00:11:19Murdoch returned to England and a job on Fleet Street,

00:11:22the epicenter of the dog-eat-dog world of the British press.

00:11:27His father had filled him with all the stories about Fleet Street.

00:11:33I think Rupert Murdoch felt that Fleet Street was the place to go,

00:11:35and that was where the action was.

00:11:36The British newspaper industry operates in the most competitive environment in the world,

00:11:43because all the main newspapers are national.

00:11:46Twelve national newspapers, all slogging it out for market share,

00:11:51and the competition is very, very tough.

00:11:56Murdoch got a job working as a copy editor on the Daily Express.

00:12:00Here he learned about splash headlines, double-page spreads,

00:12:04human interest sidebars, and sports.

00:12:08He came to believe newspapers were meant to entertain, not educate.

00:12:16Before long, he was ready to return to Adelaide,

00:12:19and the small-town paper his father had left him.

00:12:22He was just 22 years old.

00:12:25He was a rather brash young man.

00:12:29He exuded energy.

00:12:32He carried a good deal of puppy fat.

00:12:37And he had this boyish way, boyish demeanour.

00:12:43He was someone who, I felt at the time anyway,

00:12:46would want to be a hands-on man.

00:12:48I didn't long to be able to help Rupert to prove worthy of his father.

00:12:55And though many of my husband's friends in the industry and his colleagues,

00:13:01I'm sure, felt a kindness towards Rupert.

00:13:06But on the other hand,

00:13:09it's very natural that perhaps their kindness was of a paternal kind.

00:13:13And when it came to, when the chips were down,

00:13:17when this young man was trying to make his way,

00:13:21it wasn't so easy.

00:13:25His father's former colleagues, who own the competing paper,

00:13:29saw Rupert's inexperience as an opportunity to put him out of business.

00:13:33This was when Murdoch came to believe business was war.

00:13:37Rupert Murdoch took on the establishment,

00:13:40and he took on the establishment angrily

00:13:42because he was very unhappy about being robbed of what he felt

00:13:45of what he felt was his birthright.

00:13:47He decides to fight.

00:13:50There's really no alternative if he's going to stay in newspapers in Adelaide

00:13:55and use that as a base from which to expand.

00:13:58What he simply did was used all the means that he's disposed all

00:14:02to undercut the opposition in advertising rates,

00:14:06in giveaways, in marketing,

00:14:08and he didn't mind if he took losses.

00:14:11The interesting thing is he never has minded.

00:14:13He's always recognized he's in for the long haul, the long game.

00:14:16They didn't think he was,

00:14:17and they felt they could cut him to pieces

00:14:20just simply by being bigger.

00:14:22And they couldn't.

00:14:24It took him two years, but Murdoch won the circulation war.

00:14:28The two papers merged, but on Murdoch's terms.

00:14:31His company, News Limited, won the right to print,

00:14:35manage, and therefore keep most of the profits.

00:14:42His victory in Adelaide put people on notice.

00:14:45Rupert Murdoch was not to be underestimated.

00:14:49Rupert was carving out a considerable reputation

00:14:53for himself in Adelaide by now.

00:14:55I'm sure that it must have given him great confidence

00:14:59to charge ahead,

00:15:02perhaps charge ahead more quickly

00:15:04than he would otherwise have done.

00:15:07Murdoch went on the offensive.

00:15:08He took his profits from Adelaide

00:15:10and began buying up small papers

00:15:12all across Australia.

00:15:13We were a very small company to start with,

00:15:17and we could just take the opportunities

00:15:20which we could afford.

00:15:22So therefore, we tended to take the sick newspapers,

00:15:25the ones that weren't worth much

00:15:26that people felt were about to fold up.

00:15:29And by energy and drive

00:15:32and getting people around us who were good,

00:15:34we managed, in most cases,

00:15:36to turn the corner.

00:15:37His big move was to come to Sydney

00:15:42where he bought a chain of Suburbans,

00:15:44once again at a time when Suburbans weren't fashionable.

00:15:46This was in the 50s, late 50s.

00:15:48And then he did one of those famous deals.

00:15:51He bought a second-rate,

00:15:54knocked-out afternoon newspaper

00:15:56in a city with three others.

00:15:58And they actually sold it to him

00:16:00on the assumption that he'd go broke.

00:16:01Ho, ho, ho.

00:16:02Going beyond the lessons he learned on Fleet Street,

00:16:07he took his papers down market

00:16:08and up circulation dramatically.

00:16:12He went right to the lowest common denominator

00:16:14type of journalism,

00:16:15which was already in Australia,

00:16:16but he just outdid the other papers,

00:16:19the rival papers.

00:16:21I'm not ashamed of any of my newspapers at all.

00:16:23And I'm rather sick of snobs

00:16:26who tell us that they're bad papers,

00:16:28snobs who only read papers that no one else wants.

00:16:32I doubt if they read many papers at all.

00:16:34And whereas on most issues

00:16:36they consider themselves liberals

00:16:37or radicals or something,

00:16:40they think they ought to be imposing their taste

00:16:43on everybody else in the community.

00:16:46When television came to Australia in the mid-50s,

00:16:50Murdoch was quick to spot the potential profits.

00:16:54He bid successfully for a license in Adelaide.

00:16:57His Channel 9 broadcasts a line-up of local programs

00:17:06and cheap reruns from America.

00:17:09One of the deals that I remember well

00:17:13was a package of 400 cheap westerns.

00:17:17We came down the canyon toward the agency

00:17:19with our valuable prize.

00:17:21You recognize them by the fact that the same bit of cactus

00:17:24she saw in the same rock she saw

00:17:25that the horse's gallop passed.

00:17:31And it worked out at $7 a play.

00:17:34And this is about the same amount today

00:17:35that a person would go in and rent a video for.

00:17:40When Rupert heard the price of it,

00:17:42he said,

00:17:42Right, every night is ranch night.

00:17:46Murdoch was determined to own

00:17:48more than one small television station.

00:17:50He set his sights on Sydney,

00:17:52the largest market in Australia.

00:17:55Politicians in power at the time

00:17:57provided the licenses to their media friends.

00:18:00And Rupert was excluded from that

00:18:01because he wasn't a media friend.

00:18:04He wasn't a media enemy.

00:18:05He was just a small time, small newspaper,

00:18:07tabloid owner who didn't count.

00:18:09Channel 9

00:18:11There was a small television station in Wollongong,

00:18:20which is a town about 40 miles south of Sydney.

00:18:24And it went broke.

00:18:26It went bankrupt.

00:18:28And Rupert negotiated to take it over.

00:18:32But what...

00:18:34It wasn't the station itself that interested him

00:18:36because he had a small rural audience,

00:18:39which was never going to make a huge amount of money.

00:18:41But what he did

00:18:42was to point the transmitter towards Sydney

00:18:45and threaten the big Sydney operators.

00:18:51If a door was close to him,

00:18:52he kicked it in or found a key somewhere.

00:18:54You can see it in the comfort of your own homes

00:18:56every Wednesday at 9.30.

00:18:58To defeat the bigger, stronger stations,

00:19:00he had to do something else.

00:19:02Murdoch knew that every year

00:19:07the bigger stations came to New York City

00:19:09to buy shows from the American networks.

00:19:13Together, the Australians, acting as a club,

00:19:16had agreed to a spending cap

00:19:18in order to keep costs low.

00:19:22In luncheon meetings with the networks,

00:19:24Murdoch displayed a willingness

00:19:25to defy those club rules.

00:19:27Rupert suddenly appeared as a new buyer

00:19:30with a checkbook in hand

00:19:31and was prepared to outbid

00:19:33the cap that the other people had sent.

00:19:36It was a tremendous gamble

00:19:38because there was no way

00:19:39in which he had assurance

00:19:40that he would ever be able to recoup

00:19:42what he had to pay

00:19:43for all Australian rights

00:19:44for this material.

00:19:46I went over to America

00:19:48and bought every new program

00:19:50from every network

00:19:51that was available for a year

00:19:52and spent, I think, nearly $3 million

00:19:55to buy Australian rights.

00:19:58Meanwhile, the existing people here

00:19:59sat around and said

00:20:00that they'd let me go broke,

00:20:02that I was making them.

00:20:03This was my really fatal mistake,

00:20:05that I would go broke on this.

00:20:06There was an instinctive desire

00:20:09to gamble, apparently,

00:20:11and the chips got bigger

00:20:12as time went on.

00:20:16During his trips to America,

00:20:18Murdoch would often hit the tables

00:20:19in Las Vegas.

00:20:20In business and in life,

00:20:23Murdoch never plays it safe.

00:20:25He always gambles.

00:20:27Usually, he wins.

00:20:30The other network operators

00:20:33in Australia sent their people,

00:20:35and they were two or three weeks

00:20:36after Rupert had made his acquisitions,

00:20:39that they found that

00:20:41there was nothing they could buy.

00:20:42So they had to deal with Rupert

00:20:44if they wanted to have programming

00:20:46for their market.

00:20:46Rupert has always recognised

00:20:51that what you pay for an opportunity,

00:20:53what you pay for something,

00:20:55may appear a large amount

00:20:57at the time you do it,

00:20:58but almost on every occasion,

00:21:01it turns out that you get it

00:21:02at a bargain price

00:21:03if you're in early.

00:21:04In 1964,

00:21:08Murdoch had a vision

00:21:09to create Australia's

00:21:11first national newspaper,

00:21:12The Australian.

00:21:14He built it from the ground up

00:21:15and would subsidise it for 20 years

00:21:18before it earned a profit.

00:21:19Could you describe

00:21:23which of your newspapers

00:21:24you care about the most?

00:21:26Oh, The Australian, I think.

00:21:28Certainly at the moment.

00:21:30It's been the greatest challenge

00:21:32and the biggest,

00:21:33certainly the biggest task

00:21:35that I've had.

00:21:36The biggest challenge

00:21:37I've ever put before me,

00:21:38I think, in life yet

00:21:39is to establish this paper

00:21:41to overcome the obstacles

00:21:42that we have.

00:21:43We still have more

00:21:44to overcome yet.

00:21:44I think his idea

00:21:48was that a more serious

00:21:50quality paper

00:21:51would give him

00:21:52more influence

00:21:54and more recognition

00:21:56as a person of

00:21:58intent, you know,

00:22:02rather than just a man

00:22:03making money

00:22:04out of newspapers.

00:22:06Well, he has this great ability

00:22:07as a managing director

00:22:09to get into the detail

00:22:12of the organisation

00:22:13he carries this

00:22:16to extraordinary lengths.

00:22:18In the first four

00:22:19or five months,

00:22:20probably, I think,

00:22:21up until the time

00:22:21I left the estate,

00:22:23Rupert would quite often

00:22:24be seen down on the stone

00:22:26making up the paper.

00:22:30This bloke's running

00:22:32an organisation

00:22:33of ex-papers

00:22:35and millions of pounds

00:22:36to, you know,

00:22:37there he is

00:22:37with bits of lead

00:22:38making up the paper.

00:22:40It's very unnerving.

00:22:40If you work for Murdoch,

00:22:43you always sense

00:22:44Rupert's watching.

00:22:46I like it very much.

00:22:48It's just a question

00:22:48of layout there.

00:22:50I thought those maps,

00:22:51the big map here,

00:22:52might have been more effective.

00:22:53It was a full half page.

00:22:55Well, front perhaps

00:22:56or on page three.

00:22:58Yes.

00:22:58Now, the time people

00:22:59pull it out

00:22:59and turn it around,

00:23:00they've got to do

00:23:00all those things

00:23:01before they realise

00:23:02it's not an ad.

00:23:03The head office

00:23:04was in Canberra

00:23:04because Rupert felt

00:23:05as a national paper

00:23:06it symbolically

00:23:07should be edited

00:23:08from the national capital.

00:23:10But the printing presses

00:23:11were in Sydney,

00:23:11Melbourne and Perth

00:23:13and that meant

00:23:14that the paper

00:23:15was produced

00:23:16down to the stage

00:23:17of the mattresses

00:23:18in Canberra.

00:23:20The mattresses

00:23:20then had to be

00:23:21shoved onto a light aircraft

00:23:23or a couple of light aircraft

00:23:24to go to Sydney and Melbourne

00:23:26where the paper was printed.

00:23:27Rupert himself

00:23:35was absolutely fanatical

00:23:36about getting the paper

00:23:37out every day

00:23:38come what may

00:23:39and on occasions

00:23:40he'd drive the mats

00:23:42out himself

00:23:42from the Canberra city office

00:23:44to the airport.

00:23:47Now, Canberra

00:23:48is a fog hole

00:23:50in winter.

00:23:51The airport's closed

00:23:52about three days

00:23:53out of every seven.

00:23:54Rupert was supposed

00:23:58to have come out

00:23:58one night

00:23:59in his pyjamas

00:24:00and his dressing gown

00:24:02shouting at the pilot

00:24:04you can take off

00:24:05you can take off

00:24:06you know

00:24:06the fog all round

00:24:07over there

00:24:08and Rupert's saying

00:24:09yeah, off you go.

00:24:19Nobody really expected

00:24:20the Australian to succeed

00:24:22but as did succeed

00:24:23and as it created

00:24:25very much a niche

00:24:26among a particular group

00:24:28of fairly influential people

00:24:30then Rupert began

00:24:32to be taken

00:24:32much more seriously

00:24:33by the politicians

00:24:34and I think

00:24:36his horizons

00:24:37widened a bit

00:24:38he started to think

00:24:39of himself

00:24:39as somebody

00:24:40who could perhaps

00:24:41take part

00:24:43in making

00:24:43and unmaking governments

00:24:45particularly unmaking

00:24:46I think.

00:24:47in 1972

00:24:52Murdoch used

00:24:53his newspapers

00:24:54as a political weapon

00:24:55to help elect

00:24:56a new Prime Minister

00:24:57The man who is going

00:24:59to be the first

00:25:00Labour Prime Minister

00:25:01of Australia

00:25:02for 23 years

00:25:04Gough Whitlam

00:25:04He'd supported Whitlam

00:25:09he'd helped to destroy

00:25:10the previous government

00:25:11therefore

00:25:13Whitlam should now

00:25:15support him

00:25:15in whatever demands

00:25:16he made

00:25:17however outrageous

00:25:18they might be

00:25:19Whitlam says

00:25:20that after the election

00:25:22as a price

00:25:23for his support

00:25:23Murdoch asked

00:25:24to be made

00:25:25Australia's ambassador

00:25:26to London

00:25:27a charge Murdoch

00:25:29has always denied

00:25:30You would have thought

00:25:31that he would have

00:25:32realised

00:25:32that it was

00:25:33an absolutely

00:25:33impossible request

00:25:35that no Prime Minister

00:25:36on earth

00:25:37would have granted

00:25:38but that was Rupert

00:25:40I mean

00:25:40no hide

00:25:40no Christmas box

00:25:42and Rupert

00:25:43certainly felt

00:25:44that there was

00:25:46a quid pro quo

00:25:46involved

00:25:47Whether because

00:25:49Whitlam refused

00:25:50to grant him favours

00:25:51or because

00:25:52as Murdoch says

00:25:53he was ineffectual

00:25:55in the 1975 election

00:25:57Murdoch turned his papers

00:25:58against Whitlam

00:25:59and supported

00:26:00the more conservative

00:26:01Malcolm Fraser

00:26:02The journalist's copy

00:26:05was being altered

00:26:06they were given

00:26:07specific instructions

00:26:08on what they could write

00:26:09and what they couldn't write

00:26:10and where the instructions

00:26:12weren't specific

00:26:13they learnt pretty bloody quickly

00:26:14because nothing appeared

00:26:15in the paper

00:26:16if it didn't follow the line

00:26:18It was the most

00:26:19extraordinarily ruthless

00:26:21and one-sided

00:26:22political coverage

00:26:23I think

00:26:23any of us can remember

00:26:25and we devoutly hope

00:26:26we never see it again

00:26:27It was the first time

00:26:30he'd really unleashed

00:26:32a ferocious campaign

00:26:33against a politician

00:26:34in an unfair fashion

00:26:36The manner in which

00:26:37it was done

00:26:38was undoubtedly

00:26:39in breach

00:26:40of journalistic ethics

00:26:41The one-sided coverage

00:26:46sparked demonstrations

00:26:47Murdoch's papers

00:26:48were burned

00:26:49in the streets

00:26:50And then Murdoch's

00:26:53own journalists

00:26:53walked out

00:26:54It was a rarity

00:26:56reporters striking

00:26:57not over money

00:26:58but ethics

00:26:59But again

00:27:06Murdoch had backed

00:27:07the winner

00:27:07and now he wanted

00:27:09a favour

00:27:09from Prime Minister Fraser

00:27:11A change in the laws

00:27:13regarding the ownership

00:27:14of TV stations

00:27:15Murdoch's plans

00:27:21to expand

00:27:22into foreign markets

00:27:23conflicted with laws

00:27:24requiring station owners

00:27:25to maintain

00:27:26their permanent residence

00:27:27in Australia

00:27:28Fraser

00:27:29had the law changed

00:27:31It was a great row

00:27:33when you did change

00:27:34the law

00:27:34I didn't feel it

00:27:35suggesting that you

00:27:36were getting him

00:27:36off the hook

00:27:37and that you yourself

00:27:39had succumbed to pressure

00:27:40Is there nothing in there?

00:27:41No, there isn't

00:27:42because I really did believe

00:27:45that the fact

00:27:47that he was a foreign resident

00:27:48but an Australian

00:27:50should not be held

00:27:51against him

00:27:52I think Malcolm Fraser

00:27:53passed this legislation

00:27:55not so much

00:27:55out of gratitude

00:27:56for past favours

00:27:57from Rupert

00:27:58but out of fear

00:27:59of what Rupert

00:28:01might do

00:28:01if he didn't get it

00:28:03because Malcolm Fraser

00:28:04had seen

00:28:04how viciously

00:28:06the Murdoch press

00:28:07could operate

00:28:08in trying to tear down

00:28:09governments in the past

00:28:10and he didn't want

00:28:11it to happen to him

00:28:12Murdoch had won

00:28:16his wars in Australia

00:28:17he was now ready

00:28:19for new continents

00:28:20to conquer

00:28:20There was nobody about

00:28:27on Saturday morning

00:28:28except I bumped into Rupert

00:28:30wandering along the corridor

00:28:32and he said

00:28:33hey, come here

00:28:34so we went into

00:28:36the boardroom

00:28:36and he said

00:28:38I think we're going

00:28:40to buy a newspaper

00:28:40in England

00:28:41and of course

00:28:42when he said

00:28:42the news of the world

00:28:43I nearly fell on the floor

00:28:44you're talking about

00:28:46the biggest selling

00:28:47newspaper in the world

00:28:48it was then selling

00:28:49over 6 million copies

00:28:50this Sunday

00:28:51unassailable corporately

00:28:54safe in the hands

00:28:55of a family

00:28:56what was he talking about?

00:28:58Sir William Carr

00:28:59was the chairman

00:29:00and largest shareholder

00:29:01of the news of the world

00:29:02his family had run the paper

00:29:04since 1891

00:29:05but in 1969

00:29:08the family was threatened

00:29:09by a corporate raider

00:29:10with a reptilian reputation

00:29:12It had a bid in

00:29:14from Robert Maxwell

00:29:16at the time

00:29:16which they didn't like

00:29:18and didn't want

00:29:19and rejected

00:29:19but the pressure

00:29:21was to find

00:29:22some kind of white knight

00:29:23to come and rescue

00:29:25the news of the world

00:29:26from the hands

00:29:27of the evil

00:29:28Robert Maxwell

00:29:29Murdoch flew to London

00:29:31to meet at this restaurant

00:29:33with members

00:29:33of the Carr family

00:29:34With the charm

00:29:39he can turn on and off

00:29:40like a light switch

00:29:41he seduced them

00:29:42telling the family

00:29:44I'll help you beat

00:29:45Robert Maxwell

00:29:46we'll run the company together

00:29:48Sir William can stay on

00:29:50as chairman

00:29:50all I want

00:29:52is 40% of the stock

00:29:53and the job

00:29:55of managing director

00:29:56It came down

00:30:00to a battle

00:30:01between Maxwell

00:30:02and Murdoch

00:30:02at a special

00:30:03shareholders meeting

00:30:04to decide

00:30:05which of the two

00:30:05would be the buyer

00:30:06Murdoch's bankers

00:30:12and lawyers

00:30:12arranged for the

00:30:13shareholders meeting

00:30:13to be packed

00:30:14with friendly shareholders

00:30:15of the Carr family

00:30:16and both the shareholders

00:30:17were told in advance

00:30:18that the Carr family

00:30:19wanted Murdoch

00:30:20rather than Maxwell

00:30:21to win the battle

00:30:22Although Maxwell

00:30:26was offering

00:30:27to pay a higher price

00:30:28the vote went

00:30:29overwhelmingly

00:30:30for Murdoch

00:30:31Robert Maxwell

00:30:34had been outflying

00:30:35and perhaps

00:30:36for the last time

00:30:37the establishment

00:30:38would view

00:30:39Rupert Murdoch

00:30:40as the savior

00:30:41It would be

00:30:43the largest shareholding

00:30:44together with

00:30:45the Carr family

00:30:46it would certainly

00:30:47be more than 50%

00:30:49Was buying into

00:30:50the news of the world

00:30:51your own idea

00:30:52or was it suggested

00:30:53from someone else

00:30:53It was entirely

00:30:54my own idea

00:30:55And what is your motive

00:30:59to help the Carr family

00:31:00beat Robert Maxwell

00:31:01or to expand

00:31:01your own newspaper chain

00:31:02To expand

00:31:03my own newspaper chain

00:31:04Six months

00:31:07after the merger

00:31:08Murdoch reneged

00:31:09on his gentleman's

00:31:10agreement

00:31:11with the Carrs

00:31:12Despite a pledge

00:31:14not to seek

00:31:14majority control

00:31:15he did

00:31:16Murdoch says

00:31:17he had no choice

00:31:18the Carrs were inept

00:31:19and he had to

00:31:20protect shareholders

00:31:21The Carrs were outraged

00:31:25and called Murdoch

00:31:26a liar

00:31:27and the charge

00:31:29that his word

00:31:30was counterfeit

00:31:30would shadow him

00:31:32the rest of his career

00:31:33Once Murdoch

00:31:37had full control

00:31:38of the news of the world

00:31:39he moved

00:31:40to boost circulation

00:31:41The paper

00:31:43already known

00:31:44as a scandal sheet

00:31:45became even more salacious

00:31:47His nickname in Fleet Street

00:31:50was News of the Screws

00:31:52One of the standard stories

00:31:54was

00:31:54Vicar elopes

00:31:56with Lady Organist

00:31:57And then you'd get

00:31:59this elopement

00:32:00of the vicar

00:32:01with his

00:32:02It seemed to be going on

00:32:02all the time

00:32:03that there were

00:32:03varying vicars

00:32:04and criminal scoutmasters

00:32:07This would be spelled out

00:32:10in great detail

00:32:11about what they got up to

00:32:13And people loved it

00:32:16He really got the jackpot there

00:32:19Because in Australia

00:32:21he hadn't been a major

00:32:23newspaper proprietor

00:32:24He'd been quite big

00:32:26in television and so on

00:32:27But he hadn't been really big

00:32:29In Britain he got the news of the world

00:32:31and that is the biggest

00:32:32selling newspaper

00:32:33in Britain

00:32:35And that was the real foundation

00:32:39of his international empire

00:32:40But there was a problem

00:32:44The News of the World

00:32:45was a Sunday paper

00:32:46and he needed a daily

00:32:48to keep the presses running

00:32:49all week long

00:32:50When a money-losing daily

00:32:55The Sun came up for sale

00:32:56Murdoch bought it

00:32:58They sold it to Murdoch

00:33:01in the belief

00:33:02that it would wreck him

00:33:03That it would lose him

00:33:04an awful lot of money

00:33:05The best brains

00:33:06The best newspaper brains

00:33:07in Fleet Street

00:33:08had not made a success of it

00:33:10They couldn't see why

00:33:11an Australian

00:33:13who knew nothing

00:33:14about Fleet Street

00:33:15could make a success

00:33:16On November 17th, 1969

00:33:19The News of the World

00:33:20was readied for its debut

00:33:21Murdoch's young wife Anna

00:33:24was given the honour

00:33:25of launching the first press run

00:33:26Rupert Murdoch took that paper

00:33:29The Sun

00:33:29and totally redesigned it

00:33:31Turned it into a fast

00:33:33dynamic

00:33:34aggressive

00:33:35rude tabloid

00:33:37Get ready for Britain's

00:33:39biggest bingo game

00:33:40You've got a place

00:33:42in the sun

00:33:42We use television a lot

00:33:4440,000 pounds every week

00:33:46For you and you and you and you

00:33:48Page by page

00:33:50We're goodie after goodie

00:33:51after goodie

00:33:51Giveaways, competitions

00:33:53special features, supplements

00:33:55you name it

00:33:56We threw it out

00:33:56Every week

00:33:57So join the band

00:33:58Gosh, you know

00:33:59I've been living without this

00:34:00amazing newspaper

00:34:01Something goes number one

00:34:04You've got a place

00:34:05in the sun

00:34:06The key to the success

00:34:08of The Sun

00:34:09was the realisation

00:34:11that a newspaper isn't

00:34:13or need not be

00:34:14all about news

00:34:15He regarded journalism

00:34:17really as a branch

00:34:18of the entertainment business

00:34:19and he thought that people

00:34:21bought the paper

00:34:22not to be instructed

00:34:23or to be edified

00:34:24or to know about the world

00:34:25but have a good laugh

00:34:27You've got a place

00:34:29in the sun

00:34:29Something goes number one

00:34:31It went from a paper

00:34:32selling less than a million

00:34:33so to selling more than

00:34:35four million

00:34:35It became the biggest

00:34:37selling tabloid newspaper

00:34:39in Britain

00:34:40and in the process

00:34:41really a lot of people said

00:34:42drag tabloid standards down

00:34:44because as the other newspapers

00:34:46lost circulation

00:34:47they began to follow

00:34:49some of the techniques

00:34:50that The Sun had used

00:34:51including the famous

00:34:52page three

00:34:53topless girl

00:34:54The so-called

00:34:56Sun Lovely

00:34:57was the most controversial

00:34:58Murdoch addition

00:34:59to The Sun

00:35:00Each day

00:35:01the paper's page three

00:35:03included a photo

00:35:04of a topless model

00:35:05along with a dash

00:35:07of prurient prose

00:35:08When a friend of mine

00:35:16worked for The Sun

00:35:17he actually cut out page three

00:35:19so that his mother

00:35:20wouldn't see it

00:35:21and when she said

00:35:23well this page

00:35:24seems to be missing Frank

00:35:26he said

00:35:26it's the trade unions

00:35:27again you know

00:35:28they cut out pages

00:35:29In our attempt

00:35:33to be continually outrageous

00:35:35we were always in hot water

00:35:36with the regulatory body

00:35:38and we had

00:35:40pussy week for example

00:35:43which

00:35:44caused them

00:35:46a lot of hand wringing

00:35:47but in the end

00:35:48it was genuinely

00:35:49about cats

00:35:50and so that had to be allowed

00:35:51The Sun investigates

00:35:53and it's bath week

00:35:54in The Sun

00:35:54We used to run

00:35:55theme weeks

00:35:56in The Sun

00:35:56in those days

00:35:57and we devised

00:35:59bath week

00:35:59even with a bath

00:36:01full of champagne

00:36:02yes we're stretching out

00:36:03in bath week

00:36:04in your fabulous

00:36:05Fry-Pee Sun

00:36:06this week

00:36:07As the 70s went on

00:36:08Rupert Murdoch

00:36:09was moving more

00:36:10to the right

00:36:10politically

00:36:11the man who had

00:36:12Lennon's bust

00:36:13in his room

00:36:14in Oxford

00:36:15was now becoming

00:36:16more and more

00:36:16Thatcherite

00:36:17and Reaganite

00:36:18Rupert Murdoch

00:36:20admired Margaret Thatcher

00:36:21enormously

00:36:22he thought

00:36:23she was the saviour

00:36:24of the country

00:36:25here was this

00:36:26lower middle class

00:36:27woman coming along

00:36:28handbagging

00:36:29British institutions

00:36:30shaking the country up

00:36:32taking on the unions

00:36:33berating management

00:36:35when it was useless

00:36:35and he admired it a lot

00:36:37The Sun

00:36:39was crucial really

00:36:40to the Thatcherite

00:36:41revolution

00:36:41and to Mrs. Thatcher's

00:36:42political prospects

00:36:43you see the Tory party

00:36:45the right wing party

00:36:46never had a working

00:36:48class newspaper

00:36:49supported before

00:36:50never had a paper

00:36:51that was read

00:36:52by blue collar workers

00:36:54indeed 11 million

00:36:55working men and women

00:36:56reading this paper

00:36:57right underneath the sign

00:36:59The Sun newspaper

00:37:00two elections ago

00:37:01said it was the Sun

00:37:02what won it

00:37:03Downside better than Labour

00:37:04They were reflecting

00:37:05what politicians

00:37:06actually believe

00:37:07they do believe

00:37:08that the Sun newspaper

00:37:09because of the demographic

00:37:10readership of the paper

00:37:12actually swings elections

00:37:134

00:37:143

00:37:152

00:37:161

00:37:17Happy

00:37:181977

00:37:19By now

00:37:22Murdoch was engaged

00:37:23in another tabloid adventure

00:37:25He took the millions

00:37:27his London papers

00:37:28were generating

00:37:28and bet them

00:37:29on the new world

00:37:30Rupert wants to be

00:37:32king of the world

00:37:33to be king of the world

00:37:33you have to be

00:37:34king of New York

00:37:35because New York

00:37:36is the center of the world

00:37:37isn't it

00:37:38center of the universe

00:37:40capital of the world

00:37:40so

00:37:41what makes more sense

00:37:42than for him

00:37:42to come to New York

00:37:43buy a newspaper

00:37:45run a newspaper

00:37:46make it an influential newspaper

00:37:48in late 1976

00:37:52Murdoch bought

00:37:53the liberal

00:37:53New York Post

00:37:54the oldest

00:37:55continuously published

00:37:56daily

00:37:57in America

00:37:58he had a lot

00:38:01of these ideas

00:38:01of things

00:38:02that had worked

00:38:02in Sydney

00:38:03Australia

00:38:04and in Fleet Street

00:38:05it only had

00:38:07400,000 sale

00:38:08every day

00:38:09at that time

00:38:10and within two years

00:38:11it was almost a million

00:38:11and he just went wild

00:38:13and had a lot of fun

00:38:15and the headlines

00:38:16got brighter

00:38:16and the pictures

00:38:17got bigger

00:38:17and the girls

00:38:18got prettier

00:38:18Anna Murdoch

00:38:20Rupert's wife

00:38:21told me

00:38:21that she overheard

00:38:23him talking

00:38:23to his editors

00:38:24one day

00:38:24about starting

00:38:25the page 3 girl

00:38:26the nude

00:38:27page 3 girl

00:38:27in New York Post

00:38:28and she said

00:38:30in effect

00:38:31if you do that

00:38:31Rupert

00:38:32I will leave you

00:38:34because I will not

00:38:34have our children

00:38:35walking down

00:38:36on their way to school

00:38:36walking past newsstands

00:38:38and looking at

00:38:39the New York Post

00:38:40with naked women

00:38:41on page 3

00:38:41he's a complex

00:38:45personality

00:38:46because if you

00:38:46read the editorials

00:38:47of his newspapers

00:38:48they're very highly

00:38:49moralistic

00:38:50and they're very

00:38:50highly principled

00:38:51and so on

00:38:52and yet they appear

00:38:53in papers that are

00:38:54almost without principles

00:38:55journalistically

00:38:56in 1977

00:39:01I was working

00:39:02for New York Magazine

00:39:04when Murdoch

00:39:04bought it too

00:39:05we all feared

00:39:07he would tart up

00:39:08our journalism

00:39:08so more than 40

00:39:10of us quit

00:39:10but he didn't care

00:39:12and as it turned out

00:39:14we were wrong

00:39:15he didn't change

00:39:16the magazine

00:39:17but some thought

00:39:21he did desecrate

00:39:22the Post

00:39:23he made it more

00:39:24conservative

00:39:24and he replaced

00:39:26one quarter of the staff

00:39:27with tabloid warriors

00:39:29from his empire

00:39:30the New York Post

00:39:32had had at that time

00:39:34extreme declining circulation

00:39:36and we came in

00:39:37with a bang

00:39:39as I say

00:39:40maybe on my part

00:39:41I made that

00:39:42bang a little bit

00:39:43too loud

00:39:43but at the same time

00:39:45we got the job done

00:39:46and we'll just cover that

00:39:48with Webster

00:39:491977 was the great blackout

00:39:52and there followed

00:39:5424 hours

00:39:55to almost 48 hours

00:39:56of terror

00:39:57they handled the blackout stories

00:39:59by exaggeration

00:40:01and by

00:40:02scare headlines

00:40:04over their stories

00:40:05and on their front pages

00:40:06the impression

00:40:08was created

00:40:09that there was

00:40:09an impending threat

00:40:10of a kind of race war

00:40:12in New York

00:40:12it was a wonderful summer

00:40:16to be a tabloid warrior

00:40:18Son of Sam

00:40:19was a godsend

00:40:20for the Post

00:40:20you know

00:40:21a good serial killer

00:40:22he was targeting

00:40:24people in Lover's Lane

00:40:25primarily attractive

00:40:27young women

00:40:28of a certain

00:40:28physical description

00:40:30and he was sending

00:40:31these wacky notes

00:40:33signed

00:40:34you know

00:40:34Son of Sam is watching

00:40:35or whatever

00:40:36and we didn't know

00:40:37who Son of Sam was

00:40:38it really changed

00:40:39the city

00:40:40for while

00:40:41he was on the rampage

00:40:42people would not

00:40:44sit in their cars

00:40:45the purchase of locks

00:40:48and guns

00:40:49just rocketed

00:40:51in the city

00:40:52the Son of Sam

00:40:53virtually gave

00:40:54New York City

00:40:55this massive

00:40:56nervous breakdown

00:40:57it was half truth

00:40:59half speculation

00:41:00that was Murdoch journalism

00:41:02that summer

00:41:05Murdoch found

00:41:06another favorite son

00:41:07to promote

00:41:08Ed Koch

00:41:09running for mayor

00:41:10when the phone rang

00:41:14the voice at the other end

00:41:17said something like

00:41:18Congressman Koch

00:41:19please

00:41:19I said

00:41:21speaking

00:41:22he said

00:41:24Congressman

00:41:25this is Rupert

00:41:26and I guess

00:41:29I was still a little

00:41:29sleepy maybe

00:41:30I thought to myself

00:41:31Rupert

00:41:32Rupert's not a Jewish name

00:41:33who could be calling me

00:41:34at 7 o'clock in the morning

00:41:36named Rupert

00:41:37and then suddenly

00:41:39because he was speaking

00:41:40I realized

00:41:41it was

00:41:42Rupert

00:41:43the Australian

00:41:44I mean

00:41:44the voice

00:41:46came through

00:41:46and I said

00:41:48yes Rupert

00:41:49he said

00:41:52Congressman

00:41:54we're going to

00:41:56endorse you

00:41:57today

00:41:57on the front page

00:41:58of the New York Post

00:41:59and I hope it helps

00:42:01I said

00:42:01Rupert

00:42:02you've elected me

00:42:03the post

00:42:05did not just

00:42:06support Koch

00:42:07it anointed him

00:42:08Murdoch says

00:42:09he loves newspapers

00:42:10because they give him

00:42:11the power

00:42:12to help shape

00:42:13the public mind

00:42:14and as always

00:42:15he loves to win

00:42:17Rupert is a power junkie

00:42:21in the sense

00:42:21that he enjoys

00:42:22the company

00:42:22of people with power

00:42:23he also holds them

00:42:25in a certain degree

00:42:26of contempt

00:42:27and the first

00:42:29Koch television

00:42:29advertisements

00:42:30appeared

00:42:31Rupert coming

00:42:32into the office

00:42:32to inquire about them

00:42:33and asking

00:42:35are those ads

00:42:36any good

00:42:37or do they show

00:42:38the real Ed Koch

00:42:39that's very funny

00:42:41when Rupert

00:42:44first came

00:42:45to New York

00:42:45he was

00:42:46an Australian

00:42:47of no particular

00:42:48reputation

00:42:49he bought

00:42:50the New York Post

00:42:51suddenly he becomes

00:42:52an intimate

00:42:52so to speak

00:42:53with mayors

00:42:54with governors

00:42:55the president

00:42:56you can't ignore

00:42:58a guy who runs

00:42:58a New York newspaper

00:42:59or with someone

00:43:02who owns

00:43:03the prestigious

00:43:04Times of London

00:43:05for 200 years

00:43:07the paper

00:43:08of the establishment

00:43:09for Murdoch

00:43:111981

00:43:12was a chance

00:43:13to buy his way

00:43:14inside the castle

00:43:16I've operated

00:43:17and launched

00:43:18newspapers

00:43:19all over the world

00:43:21this new undertaking

00:43:23I regard

00:43:24as the most

00:43:25exciting challenge

00:43:26of my life

00:43:26thank you

00:43:27here was

00:43:29Rupert Murdoch's chance

00:43:30to get into the

00:43:30upmarket end

00:43:31of the newspapers

00:43:32and still keep

00:43:33his downmarket

00:43:34tabloids

00:43:35many people

00:43:36many people have thought

00:43:37that there was

00:43:37some sleight of hand

00:43:38on this

00:43:40that because he already

00:43:41owned the sun

00:43:42and the news of the world

00:43:44that the fact that he was

00:43:46now going to buy

00:43:47two other

00:43:47major national newspapers

00:43:49even although they were

00:43:50in different markets

00:43:51should have been referred

00:43:52to the monopolies commission

00:43:53but he had the right

00:43:54political connections

00:43:55and he got it through

00:43:56he put all his newspapers

00:43:59behind Mrs. Thatcher

00:44:01and the extraordinary

00:44:02and exponential rise

00:44:04in Rupert Murdoch's

00:44:05media holdings

00:44:06in the UK

00:44:07happened to coincide

00:44:08with that period

00:44:09and he dodged his way

00:44:11around a lot of

00:44:12legislation

00:44:13and regulation

00:44:14and the government

00:44:16either turned a blind eye

00:44:17or helped him

00:44:18but he did have

00:44:20to give some commitments

00:44:21that he would not

00:44:23be hands-on

00:44:24be an interfering proprietor

00:44:27in the editorial content

00:44:28of the paper

00:44:29the way he was

00:44:30with the tabloids

00:44:30and these commitments

00:44:32are enshrined

00:44:32in articles of association

00:44:34in parliament

00:44:35there will be no fundamental change

00:44:37in the characteristics

00:44:38I am not seeking

00:44:41to acquire these papers

00:44:42in order to change them

00:44:43into something

00:44:44entirely different

00:44:45I was with Harry Evans

00:44:48Harry Evans was

00:44:49editor of the Sunday Times

00:44:50the telephone went

00:44:52it was Rupert Murdoch

00:44:54he said that

00:44:55he was going to give him

00:44:55the ultimate challenge

00:44:56to make the Times

00:44:57the world's greatest newspaper

00:44:59and Harry was the one

00:45:00to do it

00:45:01and not only that

00:45:02he would have total freedom

00:45:03by the end of the call

00:45:04Harry comes back

00:45:05to the table

00:45:06and says

00:45:06I am going to do it

00:45:07it is terrific

00:45:08it is exciting

00:45:09he believes in me

00:45:10I took a bet on

00:45:12that he wouldn't have

00:45:13a job in a year

00:45:13and I won by a day

00:45:14the differences between

00:45:17me and Mr. Murdoch

00:45:18should not be prolonged

00:45:19I am therefore

00:45:22resigning tonight

00:45:23as the editor of the Times

00:45:24he is a good businessman

00:45:27and a lousy journalist

00:45:28a lousy journalist

00:45:29in the sense

00:45:29he doesn't believe

00:45:30in public interest journalism

00:45:32and he doesn't keep

00:45:34his promises

00:45:35he is a liar

00:45:36he is incontinent

00:45:38in breach of promises

00:45:39and also he is

00:45:41a very treacherous person

00:45:43it has to be said

00:45:44despite his pledges

00:45:46Murdoch was now

00:45:47in charge

00:45:48I don't like this at all

00:45:50what is the point

00:45:52of this section

00:45:53well they are

00:45:55previews of

00:45:56new people

00:45:57new things

00:45:58new cars

00:45:59why

00:46:00why

00:46:00well because they are new

00:46:02we have the whole section

00:46:03of black and white

00:46:03called innovations

00:46:04I am going to have

00:46:05a real argument

00:46:06with you one of these days

00:46:07about this

00:46:07if you don't listen to me

00:46:09do what I want

00:46:10then you know

00:46:11it is going to be your fault

00:46:12not my fault

00:46:13it doesn't work

00:46:13but for the greatest

00:46:15journalistic fiasco

00:46:17in the history of the times

00:46:18Murdoch had no one

00:46:19but himself

00:46:20to blame

00:46:20oh no

00:46:22he opened the door

00:46:24a great grin

00:46:25on his face

00:46:25he said

00:46:26I have just pulled off

00:46:27the biggest coup

00:46:28in the whole of journalism

00:46:29I said

00:46:31he said

00:46:31I am not allowed

00:46:31to tell you till tomorrow

00:46:32but I will tell you

00:46:33he said

00:46:33I have just bought

00:46:34Hitler's diaries

00:46:35Murdoch had 60 volumes

00:46:39of the diaries

00:46:40authenticated

00:46:41by noted historian

00:46:42Hugh Trevor Roper

00:46:43a lot of people

00:46:45emerged from the story

00:46:47with an egg on their face

00:46:49it struck me

00:46:50as a combination

00:46:51of gullibility

00:46:52and greed

00:46:53really

00:46:54on all sides

00:46:55the diaries

00:46:56Murdoch and others

00:46:57had bought

00:46:58were fakes

00:46:58and at the last moment

00:47:00his own historian

00:47:01got cold feet

00:47:02Murdoch was told

00:47:04by one of his editors

00:47:06Trevor Roper

00:47:08has got doubts

00:47:10to which Murdoch replied

00:47:12expletive Trevor Roper

00:47:14go on and publish

00:47:16it turned out

00:47:22not quite as he expected

00:47:23but as he said

00:47:24afterwards

00:47:24he didn't lose

00:47:25anything on it

00:47:25he doubled the circulation

00:47:28on the Sunday Times

00:47:29and then he said

00:47:30that readership stayed

00:47:31he said the fact

00:47:32that the diaries

00:47:33didn't go on

00:47:33didn't matter

00:47:34and of course

00:47:34I didn't have to pay

00:47:35for the diaries

00:47:35because they were a fraud

00:47:36when the turmoil

00:47:41subsided

00:47:42the truth was

00:47:43Murdoch had saved

00:47:45the Times

00:47:45today

00:47:46it remains respectable

00:47:48Murdoch could afford

00:47:51to subsidize

00:47:52the Times

00:47:52since his other

00:47:53British papers

00:47:54were extremely profitable

00:47:55but he had

00:47:57a big problem

00:47:58his printing presses

00:47:59belonged in a museum

00:48:01Murdoch wanted

00:48:02to modernize

00:48:03the unions did not

00:48:04the unions had stopped

00:48:08any new technology

00:48:10coming into Fleet Street

00:48:10they demanded

00:48:12massive salaries

00:48:13and they controlled

00:48:14the papers

00:48:15and nobody thought

00:48:16they could be broken

00:48:17every Saturday night

00:48:20we never knew

00:48:21if the Sunday Times

00:48:21was coming out or not

00:48:22they used to complain

00:48:23about smells

00:48:24in the foundry

00:48:25and you waved

00:48:26these smells away

00:48:27not with air conditioner

00:48:28but with five pound notes

00:48:29we employed 300 people

00:48:31to print the paper

00:48:32we only needed 80

00:48:33I mean I employed

00:48:34Donald Duck

00:48:35Ronald Reagan

00:48:35worked for me

00:48:36they were all

00:48:37fictitious names

00:48:37that we had to pay people

00:48:39it was anarchy

00:48:40Murdoch wanted to move

00:48:44his papers

00:48:44from Fleet Street

00:48:45to a modern plant

00:48:47in the old

00:48:47London Docklands

00:48:48at a place

00:48:49called Wapping

00:48:50for six years

00:48:54he urged the unions

00:48:55to move

00:48:55to this automated plant

00:48:57for six years

00:48:58the unions resisted

00:49:00fearing they would

00:49:01lose jobs

00:49:01we were told

00:49:03that we would never

00:49:05print newspapers

00:49:06out of this plant

00:49:07that the best thing

00:49:08that we could do

00:49:10was to burn it down

00:49:12and collect the insurance

00:49:13Bill O'Neill

00:49:16was Murdoch's man

00:49:17when it came

00:49:18to labor disputes

00:49:19a former union official

00:49:21he'd muscled aside

00:49:22troubles in Australia

00:49:23and America

00:49:24before moving

00:49:25to Wapping

00:49:25I was described

00:49:27as Rupert Murdoch's

00:49:29international troublemaker

00:49:30as opposed to troubleshooter

00:49:31one of the union leaders

00:49:34said that I was trying

00:49:35to introduce

00:49:36the work practices

00:49:37of an alien continent

00:49:39and I said

00:49:41yes it's the real world

00:49:42we for example

00:49:44offered

00:49:44to agree

00:49:47to the installation

00:49:48of a new

00:49:48composing system

00:49:50that within a period

00:49:51of two years

00:49:52would enable

00:49:53the journalists

00:49:53to operate that system

00:49:54and not compositors

00:49:56but subsequently

00:49:57we were told

00:49:58that no

00:50:00the company

00:50:00couldn't afford

00:50:01the new system

00:50:02it had been put on hold

00:50:03now we know

00:50:05with a value of hindsight

00:50:07the reason

00:50:07they didn't have the money

00:50:08was they'd actually

00:50:09bought the system

00:50:10nine miles

00:50:12further down the Thames

00:50:14unbeknownst to the unions

00:50:15Rupert Murdoch

00:50:16was hatching

00:50:17an audacious plot

00:50:19here in the dilapidated warehouse

00:50:23a team of American

00:50:24computer specialists

00:50:26was carrying out

00:50:27a top secret operation

00:50:28it was an awful looking

00:50:30place on the outside

00:50:31it used to be

00:50:32a paper warehouse

00:50:33it had holes

00:50:34in the walls

00:50:35of this steel building

00:50:36we couldn't really

00:50:38plug anything up

00:50:39because from the outside

00:50:40it had to look like

00:50:41it was still

00:50:42you know

00:50:43an old defunct

00:50:44paper warehouse

00:50:45the computer terminals

00:50:47arriving at the warehouse

00:50:48would become the brains

00:50:50of the printing presses

00:50:51at Wapping

00:50:51we had to proceed

00:50:54absolutely in secret

00:50:55Mr. Murdoch's orders

00:50:57were that we were

00:50:58to proceed

00:50:58absolutely in secret

00:51:00because if it was exposed

00:51:01the union found out

00:51:02about it

00:51:03he would lose

00:51:03an enormous amount

00:51:04of leverage

00:51:05he wanted them

00:51:06not to know

00:51:07that he was capable

00:51:08of producing this paper

00:51:09without them

00:51:10if the system worked

00:51:11and if it could be

00:51:12moved to Wapping

00:51:13Murdoch would have

00:51:14the upper hand

00:51:15all the equipment

00:51:21had to be moved

00:51:22to Wapping

00:51:22in the middle of the night

00:51:23for security reasons

00:51:25cartons had been

00:51:26spray painted

00:51:27with brown paint

00:51:28on the outside

00:51:29so that no company

00:51:30of origin

00:51:31could be determined

00:51:32and then loaded

00:51:33in these big lorries

00:51:34and taken to Wapping

00:51:36to the plant

00:51:36the operation succeeded

00:51:41brilliantly

00:51:42it was the end

00:51:43of the road

00:51:44for the unions

00:51:45all these talks

00:51:47seem to have

00:51:47come literally

00:51:48to the end

00:51:48of the road

00:51:49I'm afraid so

00:51:50everything has to

00:51:50come to an end

00:51:51sometime

00:51:51and we've been

00:51:52waiting for six years

00:51:53to get somewhere

00:51:54and we just can't

00:51:55leave the clock

00:51:56standing still

00:51:56any longer

00:51:57I rather got the feeling

00:51:58the company didn't

00:51:59want a settlement

00:51:59this morning

00:52:00I hope that feeling

00:52:02isn't a correct reflection

00:52:04of his true position

00:52:06but certainly

00:52:07it's very bleak

00:52:08at the moment

00:52:08with negotiations

00:52:10at a standstill

00:52:11Murdoch ordered the

00:52:12presses to roll

00:52:13at Wapping

00:52:14when the union

00:52:17struck

00:52:17he fired them

00:52:18and busted

00:52:19strike breakers

00:52:20the number of people

00:52:24were brought

00:52:25from various

00:52:26Murdoch properties

00:52:27around the world

00:52:28there were staff

00:52:30brought from New York

00:52:31from Australia

00:52:32we won't stand

00:52:35people like him

00:52:36we don't like

00:52:37people like him

00:52:38he's too powerful

00:52:39he's got too much money

00:52:40and we are people

00:52:41with principles

00:52:42we've got wives

00:52:43and children

00:52:43and people like him

00:52:45spit on people like us

00:52:47Murdoch was both

00:52:49exhilarated

00:52:49by this new war

00:52:50and fearful

00:52:51of the dangers

00:52:52that lay ahead

00:52:53it was a terrifying

00:52:58Orwellian place

00:53:00you know

00:53:01rows of concertina wire

00:53:03and barbed wire

00:53:04and spikes

00:53:05and hundreds of police

00:53:06on horseback

00:53:07and day and night

00:53:08with 10,000

00:53:10screaming picketers

00:53:11outside

00:53:12hurling stones

00:53:13and shooting golf balls

00:53:15from two men

00:53:15slingshots

00:53:16we knew

00:53:18that if we lost

00:53:19that if the unions won

00:53:21if they got over

00:53:22the barbed wire

00:53:22and in

00:53:23and took over

00:53:24we were finished

00:53:26Murdoch was not alone

00:53:30in his fight

00:53:30his battle

00:53:31coincided with

00:53:32Margaret Thatcher's

00:53:33campaign to curb

00:53:35union power

00:53:35she would use

00:53:36a full weight

00:53:37of police

00:53:38and state powers

00:53:39to defend

00:53:40her old ally

00:53:41we were confronted

00:53:44by the police

00:53:45and a police force

00:53:47that we know

00:53:48had tremendous reserves

00:53:49and was really

00:53:50like a military operation

00:53:51rather than a police operation

00:53:53the printing unions

00:53:57threw everything

00:53:57into that battle

00:53:58but they were beaten

00:54:00Rupert Murdoch

00:54:01was able to win

00:54:02and it was a massive

00:54:03and unconditional victory

00:54:05what happened

00:54:07with winning

00:54:08the battle of whopping

00:54:09was that every extra penny

00:54:11you made

00:54:11went straight

00:54:11to the bottom line

00:54:12there was no union

00:54:14there holding out

00:54:15its can

00:54:16saying no sorry

00:54:16that's our money

00:54:18we became

00:54:18highly profitable

00:54:20and he suddenly realized

00:54:21that here was in a way

00:54:22this pot of gold

00:54:23lying in the banks

00:54:24of the Thames

00:54:24in this old

00:54:25Docklands place

00:54:26that would give him

00:54:27the financial clout

00:54:28to move into

00:54:30the biggest market

00:54:30in the world

00:54:31take on the biggest

00:54:32media companies

00:54:33in the world

00:54:34in the United States

00:54:35and become an

00:54:36American media mogul

00:54:37Murdoch saw himself

00:54:47as more than a press lord

00:54:48in 1985

00:54:50he acquired

00:54:51a Hollywood studio

00:54:52its production facilities

00:54:54and film library

00:54:55would become

00:54:56the factory

00:54:57for his entertainment empire

00:54:58I think Rupert

00:55:00is an absolute

00:55:01value neutral

00:55:03so to speak

00:55:04opportunist

00:55:04in the best sense

00:55:06of the word

00:55:06where he sees

00:55:07opportunity

00:55:08unlike most people

00:55:10who equivocate

00:55:10who do this

00:55:11protect themselves

00:55:12do whatever

00:55:12Rupert Murdoch

00:55:13just says

00:55:13yes there's

00:55:14opportunity

00:55:15I'm going after it

00:55:15Murdoch and Diller

00:55:18needed a television

00:55:19distribution system

00:55:20for their studio

00:55:21Metro Media's

00:55:23seven large TV stations

00:55:24could be a perfect

00:55:25base for a fourth

00:55:26network

00:55:27Diller looked

00:55:28at the numbers

00:55:29I said to Rupert

00:55:32I'll go for

00:55:33a ridiculous

00:55:34amount of money

00:55:34but it's the only

00:55:36way to do a network

00:55:37five to VT

00:55:38sound on one

00:55:39take one

00:55:40but Metro Media

00:55:40was asking

00:55:41two billion dollars

00:55:43I called Murdoch

00:55:45and said

00:55:45look

00:55:45the only way

00:55:46to deal with this

00:55:46is to say yes

00:55:47he said

00:55:48well great

00:55:49I said

00:55:49what do you mean

00:55:50he said

00:55:50well

00:55:50if you have to say yes

00:55:52I say yes

00:55:52I say you what

00:55:53he said

00:55:54yes

00:55:54and I figured

00:55:56we just

00:55:56somehow

00:55:56we'd all be like

00:55:57drowned in the east river

00:55:59or we'd sort it out

00:56:00it was at the time

00:56:02one of the biggest

00:56:03media deals

00:56:03ever

00:56:04but first

00:56:05it would have to

00:56:06clear some

00:56:06regulatory hurdles

00:56:07in Washington

00:56:08because Democrats

00:56:11and Republicans

00:56:12alike

00:56:13had pushed

00:56:13for a new network

00:56:14Murdoch and Diller

00:56:15knew the FCC

00:56:16would be sympathetic

00:56:17Fox was given

00:56:19every break

00:56:20throughout the 80s

00:56:21on the grounds

00:56:22that a new network

00:56:23should be encouraged

00:56:24we do not believe

00:56:25any requires

00:56:25any further inquiry

00:56:27the FCC

00:56:28decided that

00:56:29we needed more networks

00:56:30therefore

00:56:30a lot of hurdles

00:56:31that Fox

00:56:32should have had

00:56:32to jump over

00:56:33were just sort of

00:56:34quietly laid down

00:56:35and Murdoch

00:56:36was allowed to

00:56:37just stride

00:56:38right on through

00:56:38live from Fox

00:56:41Television Center

00:56:42in Hollywood

00:56:42it's the Late Show

00:56:44starring Joan Rivers

00:56:45Fox Television

00:56:48got off to a rocky start

00:56:49we are proud

00:56:52proud proud

00:56:53to welcome

00:56:54the advertisers

00:56:57were not happy

00:56:58I welcome

00:56:59Anne Houser Bush

00:57:00Brewers

00:57:00Brewers of Michelob

00:57:02Michelob

00:57:03I'm doing very well

00:57:03tonight

00:57:04show after show

00:57:07bit the dust

00:57:08I'd say we had

00:57:11a real rough

00:57:12two and a half years

00:57:13I remember it was

00:57:14in the summer

00:57:15I said you know

00:57:16January

00:57:17we're toast

00:57:18I mean

00:57:19we

00:57:20they're all

00:57:21all of our affiliates

00:57:22are just going to walk

00:57:23and once

00:57:24you get any

00:57:24little dominoes

00:57:25going

00:57:26the rest is

00:57:27whatever

00:57:27and also

00:57:28News Corp

00:57:29was on

00:57:30the verge

00:57:32of pulling

00:57:32the financing

00:57:33one word

00:57:35describes the new

00:57:36season of 90210

00:57:37hot

00:57:38eventually

00:57:39new

00:57:40sexiest shows

00:57:41found a younger

00:57:42audience

00:57:42and revived

00:57:43the network

00:57:44things

00:57:44I need

00:57:45I need a friend

00:57:45you sure

00:57:46that's all

00:57:46you want

00:57:47everyone else

00:57:47was playing it

00:57:48a lot safer

00:57:49appealing to kids

00:57:50with somewhat

00:57:51sanitized programming

00:57:52and advertisers

00:57:55said you know

00:57:56gee that's the

00:57:57advertised

00:57:57those are the

00:57:58audiences that

00:57:58I want to reach

00:58:00because those are

00:58:01the people who

00:58:01haven't decided

00:58:02yet what brands

00:58:02they want to

00:58:03use for the rest

00:58:04of their lives

00:58:05they're still

00:58:05trying gleam

00:58:06versus

00:58:06you know

00:58:07Colgate

00:58:08Delrose Place

00:58:09begins with a bang

00:58:12the irony now

00:58:15is that Congress

00:58:16is complaining

00:58:16about violence

00:58:17and smuttiness

00:58:18on TV

00:58:18and Rupert Murdoch

00:58:20has been in the

00:58:20vanguard of that

00:58:21at least his

00:58:22Fox Network has

00:58:23I mean it has

00:58:24established

00:58:24sort of new

00:58:25lows in taste

00:58:26on television

00:58:26people like

00:58:28watching the

00:58:29Fox Network

00:58:29we have brought

00:58:30creativity

00:58:31imagination

00:58:32and I would argue

00:58:33quality

00:58:34to television

00:58:35programming

00:58:36that hadn't

00:58:37been there

00:58:38when the three

00:58:39old networks

00:58:40had the business

00:58:40to themselves

00:58:41and I don't

00:58:42think you need

00:58:43to defend

00:58:44a product

00:58:45that finds

00:58:46widespread

00:58:47commercial acceptance

00:58:48in the marketplace

00:58:49this argument

00:58:50of I'm giving

00:58:50the people

00:58:51what they want

00:58:51I mean I think

00:58:51that's probably

00:58:52what Nero said

00:58:53when he fed

00:58:53Christians to the

00:58:54lions

00:58:54as far as I know

00:58:56the ratings

00:58:56on that were

00:58:56very high

00:58:57it was a big

00:58:58crowd pleaser

00:58:58you know

00:59:00a terrible

00:59:01accident on the

00:59:01highway

00:59:01causes everyone

00:59:02to slow down

00:59:03and stare at it

00:59:03that doesn't mean

00:59:04you necessarily

00:59:05would want to

00:59:05put it on

00:59:05prime time

00:59:06Fox also

00:59:10struck gold

00:59:11with their

00:59:12reality based

00:59:12programming

00:59:13okay one

00:59:17track

00:59:17they were the

00:59:19first to produce

00:59:20a tabloid

00:59:20magazine show

00:59:21one track

00:59:23and that'll be

00:59:23it

00:59:23okay

00:59:23Murdoch's

00:59:25tabloid warrior

00:59:26Steve Dunleavy

00:59:27was brought over

00:59:28from the post

00:59:29to help launch

00:59:30A Current Affair

00:59:30we didn't

00:59:32necessarily

00:59:33design it

00:59:34with some

00:59:35superior

00:59:35television

00:59:36knowledge

00:59:37we certainly

00:59:37thought we

00:59:38could transfer

00:59:40our skills

00:59:41of print

00:59:41whatever skills

00:59:43they may be

00:59:43into television

00:59:45and we had

00:59:47very modest

00:59:47goals

00:59:48but my god

00:59:49it took off

00:59:49and made

00:59:50fortunes

00:59:51also tonight

00:59:57the man who

00:59:58terrorized a

00:59:59hospital for

00:59:5918 hours

01:00:01I knew I was

01:00:02going to die

01:00:03hear a killer's

01:00:04account of a

01:00:05night that

01:00:06ended in

01:00:06bloodshed

01:00:07it's all news

01:00:09that doesn't

01:00:10matter

01:00:10and yet it's

01:00:11given such

01:00:13importance that

01:00:14viewers are led

01:00:14to think it

01:00:15does matter

01:00:15somehow

01:00:16this mere

01:00:18existence

01:00:19cheapens the

01:00:19whole area

01:00:20of broadcast

01:00:21journalism

01:00:21it started

01:00:23really descending

01:00:25into sexual

01:00:27exposés

01:00:30and sticking

01:00:31people's cameras

01:00:32in people

01:00:33and it

01:00:33started to

01:00:35really push

01:00:36over that

01:00:37murky

01:00:39tabloid line

01:00:40people who

01:00:42have criticized

01:00:42Current Affair

01:00:43haven't watched

01:00:44it believe me

01:00:44because it's

01:00:45got a tremendous

01:00:46amount of heart

01:00:48it really has

01:00:50I mean it's a

01:00:50some stories

01:00:51will make you

01:00:52will make you

01:00:53cry

01:00:53some stories

01:00:54will make

01:00:54you laugh

01:00:55some stories

01:00:56will tell you

01:00:56things you

01:00:56never knew

01:00:57about before

01:00:57and that

01:00:58is where

01:00:59the responsibility

01:01:00of television

01:01:01and television

01:01:01journalists

01:01:02come in

01:01:02Murdoch's

01:01:05emerging plan

01:01:05was to

01:01:06create a

01:01:06global network

01:01:07in 1989

01:01:09he launched

01:01:10a broadcast

01:01:10satellite system

01:01:11to allow him

01:01:12to reach

01:01:13TV viewers

01:01:13in Europe

01:01:14he installed

01:01:17his editor

01:01:18from the

01:01:18Sunday Times

01:01:19Andrew

01:01:19Neil

01:01:20as the

01:01:21head

01:01:21of

01:01:21Sky

01:01:21Murdoch

01:01:23called me

01:01:24from New York

01:01:24I was sitting

01:01:25I was exhausted

01:01:26by this time

01:01:26because we were

01:01:27working like

01:01:2818 hour days

01:01:28to get this

01:01:29bloody satellite

01:01:29on air

01:01:31and he said

01:01:32is it gone up yet

01:01:33and I said

01:01:34no not yet

01:01:34Rupert

01:01:34I'm sweating

01:01:35for a call

01:01:35I'll let you

01:01:36know as soon

01:01:36as it is

01:01:37and he said

01:01:37alright

01:01:38and he was

01:01:38getting ready

01:01:39to go to a

01:01:39cocktail party

01:01:40in New York

01:01:40and then the

01:01:41phone went

01:01:41again about

01:01:4210 minutes later

01:01:42he said

01:01:43has it gone up yet

01:01:43and I said

01:01:44Rupert

01:01:45I told you

01:01:45I'll call you

01:01:45back

01:01:45we haven't

01:01:46heard word

01:01:46and I said

01:01:46this is

01:01:47not like you

01:01:48Rupert

01:01:48you seem

01:01:49very nervous

01:01:49he said

01:01:50Andrew

01:01:51I'm betting

01:01:52the company

01:01:52the satellite

01:01:56reached orbit

01:01:56but the dishes

01:01:57were not selling

01:01:58Sky lost

01:02:002 billion dollars

01:02:00in its first year

01:02:02announcing

01:02:03the biggest

01:02:04TV guide ever

01:02:05to acquire

01:02:06TV guide

01:02:07it cost him

01:02:083 billion dollars

01:02:10don't miss out

01:02:10TV guide

01:02:11and he was

01:02:12spending hundreds

01:02:13of millions

01:02:13more

01:02:14buying magazines

01:02:15and book

01:02:16publishers

01:02:16Murdoch

01:02:18was overextended

01:02:19what sort of

01:02:21pressure are you

01:02:22under from the

01:02:23banks

01:02:23we're under

01:02:24no pressure

01:02:25at all

01:02:25we enjoy

01:02:26the confidence

01:02:27of our banks

01:02:27we never

01:02:28misled them

01:02:29and we're not

01:02:30under any

01:02:30pressure

01:02:31in fact

01:02:34Murdoch's

01:02:35parent company

01:02:35News Corp

01:02:36was under

01:02:37pressure

01:02:38from the banks

01:02:38at nine

01:02:41in the morning

01:02:41on October

01:02:424th

01:02:42seven of

01:02:43Rupert Murdoch's

01:02:44major bankers

01:02:45were summoned

01:02:45to London

01:02:46they knew why

01:02:48and they weren't

01:02:48very happy

01:02:49about it

01:02:49they were not

01:02:50going to be

01:02:50paid

01:02:50a loan

01:02:51that had

01:02:52already been

01:02:52postponed

01:02:52once

01:02:53for 500

01:02:53million dollars

01:02:54they were

01:02:55sitting around

01:02:56drinking tea

01:02:56and eating

01:02:57biscuits

01:02:57and wondering

01:02:59what the story

01:02:59was going

01:03:00to be

01:03:00it was a

01:03:02perfectly

01:03:02conventional

01:03:03stupid piece

01:03:05of financing

01:03:06that many

01:03:06people do

01:03:07he borrowed

01:03:09short

01:03:09and had to

01:03:10pay back

01:03:10within a

01:03:11short amount

01:03:11of time

01:03:12for projects

01:03:14on which

01:03:14he spent

01:03:15money

01:03:15which he

01:03:15wasn't

01:03:15going to

01:03:16get a

01:03:16return

01:03:16for a

01:03:17longer

01:03:17period

01:03:18Mr. Murdoch's

01:03:20representative

01:03:21came and

01:03:22said to them

01:03:23well we can't

01:03:24pay the 500

01:03:25million dollars

01:03:25right now

01:03:26and we have

01:03:282 billion dollars

01:03:29coming due

01:03:29in the quarter

01:03:30that we can't

01:03:31pay

01:03:31and by the

01:03:32way

01:03:32we'd like

01:03:33another

01:03:33600 million

01:03:34dollars

01:03:34to keep

01:03:35the operations

01:03:36going

01:03:36because we're

01:03:36having a

01:03:37little cash

01:03:37crunch

01:03:37at that point

01:03:40the bankers

01:03:40went nuts

01:03:41to avoid

01:03:43losing his

01:03:44empire

01:03:44Murdoch had

01:03:45to satisfy

01:03:46146

01:03:47different

01:03:48lenders

01:03:48the bankers

01:03:50were mystified

01:03:51by the

01:03:51Byzantine

01:03:52architecture

01:03:52of News Corp

01:03:54you could

01:03:56be lending

01:03:56in the

01:03:57US

01:03:57and you

01:03:58had no

01:03:58idea

01:03:58where the

01:03:58loan

01:03:59would be

01:03:59going

01:03:59it would

01:03:59be

01:04:00siphoned

01:04:00through

01:04:00this

01:04:00complicated

01:04:01company

01:04:02and you

01:04:02could

01:04:03end up

01:04:03lending

01:04:03to

01:04:04companies

01:04:04in

01:04:04Australia

01:04:05so it was

01:04:06very hard

01:04:06to see

01:04:07where the

01:04:07money went

01:04:08the lenders

01:04:11wanted to

01:04:12save themselves

01:04:13as well as

01:04:14Murdoch

01:04:14in New York

01:04:15a team of

01:04:16bankers

01:04:17struggled to

01:04:18restructure

01:04:18the debt

01:04:19the plan

01:04:20was

01:04:21the simplest

01:04:22solution

01:04:23they could

01:04:23find

01:04:24major banks

01:04:25would have

01:04:25to put up

01:04:26another

01:04:27600 million

01:04:27dollars

01:04:28to keep

01:04:28things going

01:04:29and they

01:04:31would have

01:04:31to convince

01:04:31all the

01:04:32146

01:04:32lenders

01:04:33to postpone

01:04:34the loans

01:04:34for a couple

01:04:35of years

01:04:35there were

01:04:37moments when I

01:04:38was sure

01:04:39that he hadn't

01:04:40slept in days

01:04:40he had to be

01:04:44frightened

01:04:44I mean

01:04:45a lot of people

01:04:46said a lot of

01:04:47bad things about him

01:04:48during this period

01:04:49and there were

01:04:51incredible pressures

01:04:52the clock

01:04:56was ticking

01:04:56during five

01:05:00frantic days

01:05:01News Corp

01:05:02executives flew

01:05:03to 11th hour

01:05:04negotiations

01:05:05in New York

01:05:06Sydney

01:05:07and London

01:05:08I really

01:05:10thought

01:05:11three or four

01:05:13times

01:05:14I said just the

01:05:14odds were just

01:05:15going to get

01:05:15creamed

01:05:16I mean

01:05:16if one

01:05:17person doesn't

01:05:19get paid

01:05:19five million

01:05:20dollars

01:05:20or three

01:05:21million dollars

01:05:21or three

01:05:22hundred thousand

01:05:22dollars

01:05:23and he calls

01:05:23up somebody

01:05:23else

01:05:24and he says

01:05:24I can't

01:05:25get paid

01:05:25and that person

01:05:27calls up

01:05:27somebody else

01:05:28and you get

01:05:29anything

01:05:30just like a run

01:05:31on a bank

01:05:31you get anything

01:05:32like that

01:05:32happen

01:05:33then the house

01:05:34of cards

01:05:35would have

01:05:35fallen down

01:05:35the banks

01:05:36wouldn't have

01:05:36been able

01:05:36to stop it

01:05:37one bank

01:05:39in Pittsburgh

01:05:39threatened to

01:05:40do just

01:05:41that

01:05:41Pittsburgh

01:05:43National

01:05:44was only

01:05:44owed

01:05:4510 million

01:05:45dollars

01:05:46but it was

01:05:47calling in

01:05:48the loan

01:05:48they would

01:05:50not go

01:05:50along

01:05:51they did

01:05:51not want

01:05:52to be

01:05:52part of

01:05:53this

01:05:53they wanted

01:05:53their money

01:05:54back

01:05:54it was

01:05:54just a

01:05:54small

01:05:55amount

01:05:55please

01:05:55pay them

01:05:56and goodbye

01:05:56and good

01:05:57luck

01:05:57Murdoch

01:05:59picks up

01:06:00the phone

01:06:00his hand

01:06:01is shaking

01:06:01because he

01:06:02knows how

01:06:02much is at

01:06:03stake

01:06:03his entire

01:06:04reputation

01:06:05his empire

01:06:06everything he's

01:06:06built

01:06:06all his life

01:06:07is at stake

01:06:08here

01:06:08so he tries

01:06:09to reach

01:06:09the chairman

01:06:09he's unable

01:06:10to reach

01:06:10the chairman

01:06:11he reaches

01:06:12the loan

01:06:12officer

01:06:12talks to him

01:06:13in his best

01:06:14persuasive

01:06:15mode

01:06:15which can be

01:06:16pretty persuasive

01:06:17whatever it was

01:06:20whether it was

01:06:20the fact that

01:06:21Murdoch himself

01:06:22got on the phone

01:06:22that he was

01:06:23pleading with him

01:06:24to please go

01:06:25along

01:06:25was very important

01:06:26whatever it was

01:06:28the man went

01:06:29along and

01:06:30agreed to

01:06:31postpone the

01:06:31loan

01:06:32the lucky

01:06:34man

01:06:34Rupert Murdoch

01:06:36got his best

01:06:36is probably

01:06:37when he is

01:06:38cornered

01:06:39or when he

01:06:40does have

01:06:41great adversity

01:06:42going against

01:06:43him

01:06:43and maybe

01:06:43it's his

01:06:44moment of

01:06:44greatest pleasure

01:06:45for a couple

01:06:47of years

01:06:48Murdoch restrained

01:06:49his appetite

01:06:50he cut costs

01:06:51sold assets

01:06:52behaved more

01:06:53like a bean

01:06:53counter

01:06:54than a

01:06:54buccaneer

01:06:55but not

01:06:56for long

01:06:57soon

01:07:00things began

01:07:01to turn

01:07:02around

01:07:02the success

01:07:04of sky

01:07:04television

01:07:05in europe

01:07:05i think

01:07:06encouraged him

01:07:07to realize

01:07:08that he could

01:07:08do this

01:07:09in other

01:07:09parts of

01:07:09the world

01:07:10as well

01:07:10and in

01:07:11particular

01:07:12the fastest

01:07:13growing

01:07:13the market

01:07:14of the

01:07:14teeming

01:07:15billions

01:07:15was in

01:07:16asia

01:07:16and that

01:07:17if he

01:07:17could get

01:07:17a hold

01:07:18of a

01:07:18satellite

01:07:18system

01:07:19like

01:07:19sky

01:07:20in asia

01:07:20then he

01:07:21would

01:07:21have

01:07:21an even

01:07:21bigger

01:07:22cash cow

01:07:22than

01:07:324 countries

01:07:33in asia

01:07:34with a

01:07:34population

01:07:35of

01:07:353.8

01:07:36billion

01:07:37well over

01:07:38half of

01:07:38the world's

01:07:39population

01:07:39and

01:07:40when we

01:07:42sold it

01:07:42to

01:07:42newscorp

01:07:43it is

01:07:44total

01:07:45subscribers

01:07:46of over

01:07:4754 million

01:07:48homes

01:07:4954 million

01:07:51homes

01:07:51in this

01:07:52area

01:07:53is a drop

01:07:53in the

01:07:53bucket

01:07:54what's

01:07:55cool

01:07:56and what's

01:07:57not

01:07:57in asia

01:07:58it's not

01:07:59too late

01:07:59to change

01:08:00watching asian

01:08:01top 20

01:08:02countdown

01:08:02it's your

01:08:04chance to

01:08:04catch up

01:08:05with asia's

01:08:05most happening

01:08:06videos

01:08:07and hey

01:08:07your grades

01:08:08won't go

01:08:09down

01:08:09and your

01:08:10grandma

01:08:10won't mind

01:08:11too much

01:08:11the asian

01:08:12top 20

01:08:13countdown

01:08:13saturday

01:08:14morning 9 a.m

01:08:15hong kong

01:08:15and taiwan

01:08:166.30

01:08:17india

01:08:17keep up

01:08:18or be

01:08:19left out

01:08:20there's an

01:08:21expression in

01:08:22chinese

01:08:22that you know

01:08:23you drink

01:08:23poison medicine

01:08:25to cure

01:08:26the illness

01:08:27and in a

01:08:28certain effect

01:08:29a certain

01:08:30way i think

01:08:31they're

01:08:31ingesting

01:08:33the likes

01:08:33of rupert

01:08:34murdoch

01:08:35and joining

01:08:36the electronic

01:08:36age

01:08:37is to drink

01:08:38just such

01:08:39poison

01:08:39for the chinese

01:08:42letting foreign

01:08:43television in

01:08:44means news

01:08:45gets out

01:08:46bad news

01:08:47like tiananmen

01:08:48square

01:08:48at the time

01:08:56rupert murdoch

01:08:57was proud

01:08:57to link

01:08:58his star tv

01:08:59with the cause

01:09:00of freedom

01:09:00advances in the

01:09:05technology of

01:09:06telecommunications

01:09:07have proved an

01:09:09unambiguous threat

01:09:10to totalitarian

01:09:12regimes

01:09:12everywhere

01:09:13satellite broadcasting

01:09:15makes it possible

01:09:17for information

01:09:18hungry residents

01:09:19of many closed

01:09:21societies

01:09:21to bypass

01:09:23state controlled

01:09:24television channels

01:09:25and we may have

01:09:26been hearing

01:09:27in that speech

01:09:28some

01:09:28you know

01:09:29unconscious

01:09:30murdoch voice

01:09:31which normally

01:09:32doesn't

01:09:33get expressed

01:09:35very quickly

01:09:36thereafter

01:09:37he i think

01:09:38he began to

01:09:38realize that

01:09:39that sort

01:09:39of statement

01:09:40vis-a-vis

01:09:41china

01:09:41is an

01:09:42anathema

01:09:43and certainly

01:09:44not very helpful

01:09:45if he wants

01:09:46to build

01:09:47better relations

01:09:47this is

01:09:50bbc world

01:09:51the bbc's

01:09:52international

01:09:53news channel

01:09:54star satellite

01:09:54was carrying

01:09:55the bbc

01:09:56even though

01:09:57it had been

01:09:57for a long

01:09:58time

01:09:58a thorn in

01:09:59the side

01:10:00of the chinese

01:10:01government

01:10:01the chinese

01:10:04had been

01:10:04objecting

01:10:05to the bbc

01:10:06because of a

01:10:07documentary

01:10:07they had done

01:10:08which was not

01:10:08carried by star

01:10:09at all

01:10:10about mao

01:10:11zedong

01:10:11and was

01:10:13generally

01:10:13flattering

01:10:15of him

01:10:15but it did

01:10:17mention that

01:10:17he had a

01:10:17penchant for

01:10:18very young

01:10:19girls

01:10:19and they

01:10:20didn't like

01:10:20that

01:10:20whether he

01:10:27was asked

01:10:27or not

01:10:28murdoch

01:10:28threw the

01:10:29bbc

01:10:29news service

01:10:30off star

01:10:31and star

01:10:33carries no

01:10:34news

01:10:34into china

01:10:35this is clearly

01:10:36the price

01:10:37for admission

01:10:38these days

01:10:39particularly

01:10:40if you want

01:10:40to do

01:10:40programming

01:10:41media

01:10:42programming

01:10:43in china

01:10:43we're going

01:10:47to be

01:10:48attacked

01:10:48sometimes

01:10:49for being

01:10:50too respectful

01:10:51as in this

01:10:52case of

01:10:52local cultures

01:10:54and in other

01:10:54times we'll be

01:10:55attacked for

01:10:56not being

01:10:57respectful enough

01:10:58here was a clash

01:10:59between

01:10:59principle

01:11:00and profit

01:11:01and at the end

01:11:02of the day

01:11:02this man

01:11:03the great

01:11:04capitalist

01:11:04buccaneer

01:11:05had to sit

01:11:06down

01:11:06and kick

01:11:07out the

01:11:07poor old

01:11:08bbc

01:11:08to keep

01:11:09the chinese

01:11:10communists

01:11:10happy

01:11:10i don't think

01:11:11it's the

01:11:11best chapter

01:11:12in a

01:11:14long and

01:11:14glorious

01:11:15history

01:11:15murdoch

01:11:17then set

01:11:18out to

01:11:18seduce

01:11:18chinese

01:11:19officials

01:11:19with joint

01:11:20ventures

01:11:21media deals

01:11:22and even

01:11:23a generous

01:11:23book contract

01:11:24for the

01:11:24daughter

01:11:25of the

01:11:25supreme

01:11:26chinese

01:11:26leader

01:11:26well if

01:11:28i'm going

01:11:28to get

01:11:28my book

01:11:28published

01:11:29in your

01:11:29capitalist

01:11:29society

01:11:30i have

01:11:30to find

01:11:31a

01:11:31capitalist

01:11:31to publish

01:11:32it

01:11:32regardless

01:11:36of whether

01:11:36it's one

01:11:37of mr murdoch's

01:11:38companies

01:11:38or not

01:11:39i think

01:11:43it would be

01:11:43very hard

01:11:44for me

01:11:44to find

01:11:44a socialist

01:11:45publisher

01:11:45in the

01:11:45united states

01:11:46this allowed

01:11:47murdoch

01:11:48to have

01:11:48some sort

01:11:49of hands-on

01:11:50direct connection

01:11:51with the

01:11:52family

01:11:52it's this

01:11:54sort of a

01:11:55thing

01:11:55when you

01:11:55have a

01:11:56whole empire

01:11:56and you

01:11:57can pull

01:11:58out a

01:11:58book contract

01:11:59you can

01:11:59pull out

01:12:00a movie

01:12:00deal

01:12:01you can

01:12:01do

01:12:01you know

01:12:01something

01:12:02else

01:12:02here or

01:12:02there

01:12:03that

01:12:03paves

01:12:04the way

01:12:05in the

01:12:05long

01:12:05run

01:12:06for a

01:12:07really

01:12:08effective

01:12:08presence

01:12:08in a

01:12:09country

01:12:09like

01:12:09china

01:12:09nine

01:12:11eight

01:12:12seven

01:12:13six

01:12:14five

01:12:15four

01:12:16three

01:12:17two

01:12:18roll

01:12:1972

01:12:19they say

01:12:22a great

01:12:22quarterback

01:12:23sees the

01:12:24whole field

01:12:24so does

01:12:26rupa murdoch

01:12:26for 40

01:12:29years

01:12:29cbs

01:12:30owned

01:12:31broadcast

01:12:31rights

01:12:32to nfl

01:12:32football

01:12:33it was

01:12:34a cornerstone

01:12:34of their

01:12:35sunday

01:12:35schedule

01:12:36you can

01:12:37spend a

01:12:38lot of

01:12:38money in

01:12:38entertainment

01:12:39and not

01:12:40have anything

01:12:40to show

01:12:40for it

01:12:41whereas sports

01:12:42has a proven

01:12:43track record

01:12:43if you spend

01:12:44money to buy

01:12:45the nfl or if

01:12:46you spend money

01:12:47to buy the

01:12:47super bowl

01:12:48or other

01:12:49major sports

01:12:50product

01:12:50there's a

01:12:51history of

01:12:52their ratings

01:12:52that is pretty

01:12:53stable

01:12:53with a

01:12:55swagger

01:12:55in 1993

01:12:57murdoch walked

01:12:58into the

01:12:58network's

01:12:59clubhouse and

01:12:59declared fox

01:13:01is here to

01:13:01play we

01:13:02want football

01:13:03fox had

01:13:06never done

01:13:06anything like

01:13:07this before

01:13:07so there was

01:13:08a sense that

01:13:09this was a

01:13:10smaller network

01:13:10a much smaller

01:13:11network with

01:13:12no experience

01:13:12coming after

01:13:14our product

01:13:14we had been

01:13:17speaking back

01:13:18and forth with

01:13:19the different

01:13:19networks with

01:13:20fox and we

01:13:21finally said

01:13:21come in on

01:13:22wednesday night

01:13:23give us your

01:13:24bid and you

01:13:26know that

01:13:26that cbs will

01:13:28have a 72

01:13:28hour period to

01:13:29match that

01:13:30bid

01:13:30the feeling

01:13:31was that

01:13:32murdoch would

01:13:33be in the

01:13:34280 to

01:13:34290 range

01:13:35and i i

01:13:36personally believe

01:13:37that's where

01:13:37he intended

01:13:38to uh to

01:13:39make his

01:13:40deal

01:13:40murdoch blew

01:13:44cbs off the

01:13:45field coming

01:13:46in a hundred

01:13:46million dollars

01:13:47higher than

01:13:48anyone expected

01:13:49we learned by

01:13:53telephone that

01:13:55fox in fact

01:13:56had submitted

01:13:57an offer of

01:13:57390 million

01:13:58dollars uh and

01:14:00when we learned

01:14:01that when we

01:14:01were told that

01:14:02i think we all

01:14:03felt that it

01:14:04would be impossible

01:14:05and not prudent

01:14:06uh for cbs to

01:14:08match that bid

01:14:09so it was at

01:14:10that point that

01:14:11we realized that

01:14:12we probably were

01:14:13going to lose

01:14:13the nfl

01:14:14well our initial

01:14:18estimate was that

01:14:19at at the price

01:14:20he stood to lose

01:14:21on football uh

01:14:23as much as

01:14:23150 million

01:14:24dollars a year

01:14:25it was it was

01:14:28quite a moment i

01:14:29mean it was a

01:14:30moment that i

01:14:30think i'll never

01:14:31forget

01:14:31regularly scheduled

01:14:36programming will not

01:14:37be seen tonight

01:14:38stay tuned for a

01:14:39fox sports special

01:14:40presentation

01:14:41what rupert murdoch

01:14:46did in obtaining

01:14:46the nfl was to

01:14:48give it extraordinarily

01:14:50sturdy structure for

01:14:51the future that is

01:14:53impervious to program

01:14:55screw-ups i mean to

01:14:56to succeeding or

01:14:58failing with a

01:14:58season schedule and

01:15:00he gave it by doing

01:15:01that he almost

01:15:02ensured fox would be

01:15:03a real big time

01:15:06network player into

01:15:07some infinity

01:15:09at its annual party

01:15:15fox had a lot to

01:15:16celebrate

01:15:17the circus is about

01:15:18to start don't you

01:15:19know

01:15:20armed with football

01:15:22murdoch began raiding

01:15:23the other network's

01:15:24affiliated stations

01:15:25he struck a deal with

01:15:29new world communications

01:15:30for 12 of theirs

01:15:31dozens more soon

01:15:33followed

01:15:34we have about 200

01:15:37affiliates that used to

01:15:39be independent

01:15:39television stations

01:15:41and honestly 25 of

01:15:44them were literally in

01:15:45bankruptcy when we

01:15:46started the network

01:15:47and all of a sudden

01:15:48their ratings have gone

01:15:49through the roof and

01:15:50their revenues have gone

01:15:51through the roof and

01:15:52they're starting real

01:15:52news departments and

01:15:54they're smoking better

01:15:54cigars and and they're

01:15:56real happy about the

01:15:57whole thing

01:15:58CBS ABC and NBC were

01:16:03considering their

01:16:04affiliates as as not

01:16:06important

01:16:07what fox has given us is

01:16:10programming that people

01:16:11watch that we can charge

01:16:12money for

01:16:12we've cost the other

01:16:18networks about a quarter

01:16:19of a billion dollars

01:16:20annually in cash

01:16:22payments that they have

01:16:24to make to their

01:16:24affiliates to keep them

01:16:26from jumping ship to

01:16:27fox now that begins to

01:16:29add up to real money

01:16:30and it made the folks at

01:16:33NBC pretty cranky and

01:16:34they did what a lot of

01:16:36people have done over the

01:16:37years and that's they

01:16:38tried to use the public

01:16:40policy machinery in

01:16:41Washington to hamper a

01:16:43competitor

01:16:44NBC filed a complaint

01:16:48before the FCC claiming

01:16:50Murdoch had acquired his

01:16:51fox tv stations under false

01:16:54pretenses

01:16:54NBC joined that complaint

01:17:01seeking the cancellation of

01:17:02the fox broadcast licenses on

01:17:04the grounds that they were

01:17:05foreign owned

01:17:06Murdoch had become an

01:17:08american citizen to get

01:17:09around that but still an

01:17:11examination of the business

01:17:13history of the licenses shows

01:17:14that the money itself came

01:17:16from a corporation in

01:17:17australia it's kind of

01:17:19obvious that at least part of

01:17:21their purpose was to get back

01:17:22at a very effective

01:17:24competitor the launch of the

01:17:26160 million dollar satellite

01:17:28aboard a chinese made two

01:17:30months later a chinese rocket

01:17:31carrying a telecommunication

01:17:33satellite and with it NBC's hopes

01:17:35to reach an asian audience

01:17:37went terribly wrong

01:17:38exploded in midair sending

01:17:41pieces of fiery debris for

01:17:43NBC Rupert Murdoch's star tv

01:17:45became the only option

01:17:47NBC withdrew its complaint and

01:17:52applied to broadcast on star

01:17:55satellite and the deal was made

01:17:57and NBC got out after all those

01:17:59noble statements because as one of

01:18:03them said some and an NBC

01:18:05official said it was a business

01:18:07decision the FCC investigation

01:18:11was not over Murdoch thought he

01:18:13had a strong case but he was

01:18:14taking no chances he bet on a

01:18:17republican victory in 1994 and

01:18:19after the election he contributed

01:18:21two hundred thousand dollars more to

01:18:23their campaign conference his

01:18:26publishing house harper collins

01:18:28announced a four point five million

01:18:30dollar advance to the new speaker

01:18:32murdoch said he knew nothing about

01:18:34the deal beforehand and gingrich said

01:18:37he didn't even know Murdoch owned

01:18:39harper collins

01:18:40murdoch knew key republican

01:18:44lawmakers had pressured the

01:18:46commission on his behalf they had

01:18:48even threatened to cut off the FCC's

01:18:50funds

01:18:50after months of anxiety he was certain

01:18:59he would win so certain that he had

01:19:01prepared a victory statement which he

01:19:03told me about before the decision was

01:19:05announced

01:19:06good morning welcome to the may 4 1995

01:19:10meeting of the federal communications

01:19:12commission

01:19:13if there are no other comments let us

01:19:17proceed to a vote all in favor of

01:19:18adopting this application to Fox

01:19:20television stations inc for renewal

01:19:22signify by saying aye

01:19:23aye

01:19:24aye

01:19:25I'm concurring with a statement

01:19:26there are no nays the ayes have it

01:19:29so ordered

01:19:29the meeting is adjourned

01:19:31Murdoch victory in the FCC was

01:19:33enormous

01:19:34and you can appreciate that if you

01:19:36think of what would have happened

01:19:39had he been defeated

01:19:39Fox would have had to change hands

01:19:43five big city stations would have had

01:19:46to be sold the communications business

01:19:50in the United States would have been

01:19:52thrown into enormous turmoil

01:19:53the moral of the story I guess is that

01:19:58Rupert Murdoch is one powerful dude

01:20:01and that this strange Australian with a

01:20:04mad passion for cheap tabloid journalism

01:20:07and sort of tawdry entertainment is a

01:20:10very very powerful and influential man in this country

01:20:14one of the essential truths I've learned about Rupert Murdoch is this to him business is war

01:20:29winning is what matters

01:20:32last spring a thousand industry leaders came to the Waldorf Astoria

01:20:40to honor Murdoch

01:20:42they came not because they loved him

01:20:47but to pay homage to his power

01:20:50it was only after months of talking to Murdoch

01:20:54and tracking his life

01:20:55that it dawned on me what he really was

01:20:58a modern day pirate

01:20:59a buccaneer who dared at whopping to reinvent newspaper publishing

01:21:06who dared launch a fourth network

01:21:08and who bet his company on satellites called sky and star

01:21:13the best of Rupert is his vision

01:21:18his energy

01:21:19his sense of building things

01:21:21the worst of it is that he's very careless about democratic institutions

01:21:26thank you very much

01:21:27I hope you enjoy the entertainment to come

01:21:29like all pirates

01:21:32Murdoch intimidates because he seems beholden to nothing

01:21:36he builds dynamic institutions

01:21:38but only for profit

01:21:40ladies and gentlemen Rupert Murdoch

01:21:43he's never accepted

01:21:46that a person in his position

01:21:48has an obligation to society

01:21:51to produce better newspapers

01:21:54and to make better journalism

01:21:55he's interested only in quantity

01:21:59that's it

01:22:01undoubtedly

01:22:03when history is written

01:22:05Rupert Murdoch will be counted

01:22:06a giant

01:22:07the question

01:22:10is whether he will be counted

01:22:12a visionary

01:22:13or a villain

01:22:14or both

01:22:16and now it's time for your letters

01:22:27our recent program

01:22:29The Search for Satan

01:22:31drew hundreds of thoughtful responses

01:22:33via email and fax

01:22:35Dear Frontline

01:22:36I was deeply troubled by your program

01:22:38about ritual abuse and its treatment

01:22:40no one wants to believe

01:22:42that terrible things have happened to them

01:22:43far easier to believe

01:22:45that they have made it all up

01:22:47easier but therapeutically disastrous

01:22:49this program's bias

01:22:51perhaps unwittingly

01:22:53plays into a wish

01:22:54common to abuse survivors

01:22:56to disbelieve themselves

01:22:58Dr. Pamela Geib

01:23:00Newton, Massachusetts

01:23:01Your Frontline

01:23:02If there can be any positive outcome

01:23:04to your program

01:23:04perhaps it is that people seeking professional help

01:23:07will constantly re-evaluate

01:23:08the quality of counseling

01:23:10they receive

01:23:11and trust their instincts

01:23:12when they feel they are not being best served

01:23:14David Benz

01:23:15Syracuse

01:23:15Dear Frontline

01:23:16The Search for Satan

01:23:17lets us know once again

01:23:19that we have no consumer

01:23:20legislative or societal protection

01:23:22against junk psychiatry

01:23:23Susan K. O'Brien

01:23:25Milton

01:23:25Massachusetts

01:23:26Dear Frontline

01:23:27Like many American Christians

01:23:28I believe that there is a devil

01:23:30and that he's an active force

01:23:31for evil in our society

01:23:33I must say however

01:23:34that if there's anyone

01:23:35I distrust more than the devil

01:23:37it's the misguided

01:23:38mental health professional

01:23:39Pastor Paul Nauman

01:23:41DuPont

01:23:42Washington

01:23:42Let us know what you think

01:23:45By fax at 617-254-0243

01:23:49By email at

01:23:50frontline at pbs.org

01:23:53By home video or letter

01:23:55to Dear Frontline

01:23:56125 Western Avenue

01:23:58Boston, Massachusetts

01:23:5902134

01:24:00And next time on Frontline

01:24:05He was a killer

01:24:11they called

01:24:12the wolf

01:24:12Natasha

01:24:16was his prosecutor

01:24:17then she fell in love

01:24:20and gave him a gun

01:24:21to escape

01:24:22a fascinating case

01:24:24of seduction

01:24:25and betrayal

01:24:25that mesmerized

01:24:26a country

01:24:27Natasha

01:24:29and the wolf

01:24:30on Frontline

01:24:31what's the point

01:24:35of this section

01:24:36I don't like this at all

01:24:39I'm going to have

01:24:41a real argument

01:24:42with you

01:24:42one of these days

01:24:42about this

01:24:43and if you don't

01:24:44listen to me

01:24:44do what I want

01:24:45then

01:24:45you know

01:24:46it's going to be

01:24:47your fault

01:24:47not my fault

01:24:48if it doesn't work

01:24:49I don't like this

01:24:53I don't like it

01:24:54okay

01:24:56I don't like this

01:24:57but i thought

01:24:59I'm going to have

01:25:00it

01:25:00is

01:25:02like

01:25:03you

01:25:07I don't like it

01:25:10because

01:25:11the

01:25:15will

01:25:16or

01:25:17and

01:26:18Frontline is produced for the Documentary Consortium by WGBH Boston, which is solely responsible for its content.

01:26:25For videocassette information about this program, please call this toll-free number.

01:26:351-800-328-PBS1.

01:26:44This is PBS.

01:26:47Yes.

Category

Transcript

Recommended