“I find him as engaged as ever,” Sorrell, who has known Murdoch for over 30 years, said in an interview. “He is a founder and he has a passion for the business that will continue until his dying day.”
Nashville Trip
Executives who work closely with Murdoch describe a man of boundless energy and curiosity who they say shows no signs of dialing back. Robert Thomson, CEO of Murdoch’s publishing company News Corp., described a trip with Murdoch in January to Nashville, Tennessee, to see the HarperCollins Christian Publishing unit. Your average octogenarian media baron might not be enthused about such a trip, but Murdoch was full of questions about the tiny division. The billionaire, who spends much of his time in New York and Southern California, considered the visit a rare opportunity to get insight into trends in middle America -- an audience he aims to reach with other parts of his entertainment and news businesses.
“He uses his experience from one company to inform elements about another,” said Thomson, who credits Murdoch for cultivating his career and that of other successful media executives such as Peter Rice, head of Fox’s Networks, and Stacey Snider, its new film studio chief.
Murdoch’s public profile had been diminishing until last year. He last appeared on an earnings conference call in August 2014. The following year, he handed over leadership of 21st Century Fox to James and Lachlan, replacing his long partnership with Chase Carey, who had spent a decade as Fox’s chief operating officer. Last year, Murdoch gave up weighing in on politics via his Twitter account as he went off on honeymoon with his new wife, model Jerry Hall.
Then last July, the Murdochs decided Rupert would replace Ailes as CEO of the most-watched news network, the jewel in Fox’s crown, assuaging fears that Fox News might lose the distinctive conservative tone that has made it so popular. Ailes, who died last week at 77, was brought down by allegations by Carlson and other women that he retaliated against them for refusing his sexual advances. Fox has run up $45 million so far on legal settlements and provisions related to Ailes’s departure, and the company is defending itself in numerous discrimination lawsuits, including three filed Monday.
Murdoch, meanwhile, started running a newsroom again -- overseeing all major decisions about talent and programming and the financial and operational aspects of Fox News.
Trump Tweets
At the same time, Murdoch has improved relations with Trump, who once eyed Fox News with suspicion, famously butting heads with former host Megyn Kelly during a 2015 campaign debate and calling the network “unfair and unbalanced” in a February 2016 tweet. Murdoch was equally critical of Trump, asking in a July 2015 tweet, “When is Donald Trump going to stop embarrassing his friends, let alone the whole country?”
But as Trump’s run for president gained traction, he was spotted in public with Murdoch at Trump Tower and on the golf course. Earlier this month, Murdoch introduced the president, who he called “my friend,” at an event hosted by the American Australian Association to commemorate a World War II battle. Trump, arms wide open, greeted the media baron with a hug and proclaimed, “There’s only one Rupert.” The president now tweets often about things he sees on Fox News.