Murdoch: Most Papers Will be Digital In 10 Years; No Commitment On Carey As Heir

(PaidContent.org)  This story was written by Staci D. Kramer.

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For the second time in as many weeks, News Corp (NYSE: NWS). Chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch is back on his own airwaves (dressed a little more formally than his Carlsbad casual look from last go round). Murdoch told Fox Business News anchor Neil Cavuto it's "too early" to talk about the layoffs reportedly coming at Fox Interactive but he was willing to get a little more detailed about Chase Carey, who comes back to News Corp July 1 as deputy chairman, president and COOdismissing the idea that Carey to is now his heir apparent: "I don't think we're making commitments on that at all. No, no, Chase is coming in to be my partner and right hand." A chunk of the interview was about FBN and Murdoch's viewing habits but they also covered some other topics of interest here. Some text and video excerpts below:

On the Boston Globe: Murdoch used to own Globe rival The Boston Herald. What does he think of the Globe's chances as it faces a Guild vote on concessions today? "Boston is a very strongly unionized place, and they may find it difficult.  But it's a great newspaper.  It's a great institution, The Boston Globe.  I can't see it disappearing. Like all newspapers, I think it will change.  We'rewe think of newspapers in the old-fashioned way, printed on crushed wood, so to speak, with ink.  It's going to be digital. 

On digital papers: Within ten years, I believe nearly all newspapers will be delivered to you digitally, either on your PC or a newon a development of the Kindle, shall we say. ... Something that's quite mobile, you can take around with you.  Communications are changing totally.  We're moving into a digital age, and it's going to change newspapers.  But if you've got a newspaper with a great name and a great reputation, and you trust it, the people in that community are going to need access to your source of news. What we call newspapers today, I call news organizations, journalistic enterprises, if you will. They're the source of news.  And people will reach it if it's done well, whether they do it on a BlackBerry or a Kindle or a PC. ... I think people will miss a great deal not getting everything that you get in the newspaper.  You may not read everything in it, but your eye catches things, and you learn things you didn't expect to learn.  And I think we'll get back to that when we get these mobile readers that you carry whole newspapers on them."








By Staci D. Kramer