SYDNEY, Nov. 10, 2009
Rupert Murdoch Threatens to Sue BBC
Media Mogul Says UK Network Stealing Content from His Papers, Also May Pull Stories from Google
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Rupert Murdoch (AP Photo/David Karp)
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Timeline Rupert Murdoch Follow his path to becoming a global media mogul.
Murdoch made it clear he's no fan of the ad-supported model. "There are no news sites or blog sites making any serious money," he said.
News Corp. chief executive Rupert Murdoch threatened to sue the British Broadcasting Corp. for allegedly stealing content from his company's newspapers and said News Corp. is considering pulling its stories from Google news searches.
In an interview with Australia's Sky News, of which News Corp. is a partial owner, the media mogul was asked why he expects Internet users to accept his plan to charge readers to access his newspapers' stories online when they can read the news for free on other Web sites such as the BBC's.
"But we're better," he said in the interview broadcast Saturday. "And anyway, if you look at them, most of their stuff is stolen from the newspapers now, and we'll be suing them for copyright. They'll have to spend a lot more money on a lot more reporters to cover the world when they can't steal from newspapers."
But he said he didn't think the matter would end up in a courtroom.
"They know the law," he said. "They will adapt."
There was no immediate response from the BBC.
In August, Murdoch said visitors to the Web sites of newspapers owned by News Corp., which include The New York Post and The Times of London, will have to start paying fees to read the news within the next year.
Murdoch told Sky News that once the company's online pay model is launched, it will probably remove its stories from Google news searches.
"I think we will, but that's when we start charging," he said.
CBS News partner site CNET reported Monday that Murdoch and other News Corp. execs have said that they intend to charge readers and viewers. In the past, the company's sites have relied on advertising revenue.
Murdoch made it clear he's no fan of the ad-supported model. "There are no news sites or blog sites making any serious money," he said.
Murdoch acknowledged that search engines such as Google direct traffic to his company's Web sites. But he said the benefit of that is marginal.
"What's the point of having someone come occasionally who likes a headline they see on Google?" he said. "We'd rather have fewer people coming to our Web sites and paying."
© MMIX, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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- Yahoo News all the way.
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- Goebles never charged for his stories....
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- "We'd rather have fewer people coming to our Web sites and paying."
I don't visit Faux news anyway (except to check out a sports story)
Murdoch!!! I hope you can get rich off nothing, because thats all you get from me!!!! - Reply to this comment
- With all of the lies and gross distortions of fact that have been debunked by credible news organizations around the country I cannot imagine why the FCC has not pulled the license on these propagandists and incitists.
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- Murdock is a jerk and I hate his political point of view. I hate his version of News (FOX), the WSJ, his radio stations and his publishing. May he spend lots of money on lawsuits and never win! I pray for his failure because no one person should be allowed to own all that media. We need to enact the anti-trust laws. FCC where are you?
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- Hey Ruppert, how does it feel to be on the receiving end of some of the despicable garbage and lies that your newspapers and Faux "News" spread.
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- Yes, Rupert owns his "news" and only he can report it.
Besides, the BBC shouldn't be getting any of its information from Murdoch entities. Their credibility is questionable. - Reply to this comment
- Yes, Rupert owns his "news" and only he can report it.
Besides, the BBC shouldn't be getting any of its information from Murdoch entities. Their credibility is questionable. - Reply to this comment
- Murdoch is a great salesman.If you go by the popularity of Fox News and WSJ,he could make "serious money" by charging for his internet content.
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- In the same interview by David Speers, Murdoch was asked why people like Glenn Beck are still on the Fox News Cahnnel even after calling President Obama a racist. Murdoch said he agreed with Glenn's position that Obama is a racist from something he (Obama) said sometime ago. He didn't say what Obama said that makes Glen and him (Murdoch) say that he is a racist. Can someone take Murdoch to task to disclose what exactly Obama said that makes him and Glenn say that he is a racist? This man grew up in Australia and only became a naturalized citizen of the US but he's making judgements of people born in the US and paling around with right wing extremists. If J Edgar Hoover was still alive, he'd probably investigate him
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- a free press..That is what we have thanks to Ben Franklyn. I like the BBC. I alos think the man is wrong. I hope he loses.
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- What is this Alien doing running Media and influencing elections in America? Isn't there laws about such things?
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- Rupert will never see any of my money.
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- Why would anyone pay to hear anything from Murdoch's propaganda machine?
Not me.
But then again there are a lot of right wing suckers who would pay big money to hear lies they want to hear. - Reply to this comment
- This is one female that will NEVER pay to go to any site that Rupert decides to close to the general public. His information is not worth a penny of my money.
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