Murdoch domain buy hints at replacement Sunday tabloid

Signs of News International's publications are seen at a plant July 7, 2011, in London.

/ Getty Images

London's new Sunday newspaper may be a close cousin of the London Sunday newspaper that's folding this week..

The announcement Thursday that the News of the World, Rupert Murdoch's Sunday-only U.K. tabloid, would publish its final edition this weekend has sparked rumors that The Sun, another Murdoch-owned British newspaper, would start publishing on Sundays in its place. The Sun currently runs Monday-Saturday.

The registration of the online domain name TheSunOnSunday.co.uk Tuesday, two days before News of the World's collapse was announced, appears to prove the rumors correct.

News of the World's shuttering came while the newspaper was mired in a phone hacking scandal that sparked a police investigation and prompted advertisers to abandon the newspaper and a prominent veterans group to cut off ties with it.

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Daisy Dunlop, a spokeswoman for News International, the parent company for News of the World and The Sun, denied rumors of The Sun's expansion.

"It's not true at the moment," she told The Associated Press. At the moment?

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On Twitter, however, news of the recently registered TheSunOnSunday.co.uk website was spreading. But the site's owner hasn't been revealed.

"TheSunOnSunday.co.uk" (& .com) reg'd on 5th July 2011: http://t.co/LHpSPw2 #notwless than a minute ago via web Favorite Retweet Replydan barker
danbarker

Dunlop told The AP that the around 200 employees laid off by News of the World's shuttering would be able to apply for other jobs within the Murdoch media empire.

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[thomasmc1957]

Putting the words "Rupert Murdoch" and "journalism" in the same article is rather suspect, don't you think?

[_Liann_]

Hacked a dead girl's phone voicemail? What about the 3,000 Americans that Murdoch's Marlboro Man killed yesterday? What about the 3,000 corporate Serial murders they are killing TODAY? What about the 3,000 Americans they are murdering TOMORROW? Murdoch DIRECTED Philip Morris (Marlboros?) to commit FELONY FRAUD while he was on the Board of Directors. Murdoch made SECRET PAYOFF for science frauds to Swiss bank accounts of corrupt science workers in PROJECT WHITECOATS (google it). Murdoch's company was CONVICTED of felony RICO frauds but GOP appointed judges let them get away with zero fine and zero disgorgeme?nt of money. Murdoch advertised CIGARETTES to KIDS in his TV GUIDE while the kids looked up the showtimes of Seseme Street and Barney the Dinosaur.-?- Murdoch DIRECTED Philip Morris Marboro serial killer to pay $75,000,00?0 per year to his TV Guide, the only American outlet to advertise cigs to children. Make these serial killers go away! Get them OFF MY WORLD!

[antoniof123]

Don't worry death is the great equilizer we all go to the grave.