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The New Elizabethans

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James Naughtie profiles 60 public figures nominated to mark the diamond jubilee

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The New Elizabethans: Rupert Murdoch

Rupert Murdoch

05/09/2012

BBC Radio 4 Extra - The New Elizabethans, Rupert Murdoch

James Naughtie profiles Rupert Murdoch, the global media magnate.

James Naughtie profiles Rupert Murdoch, the global media magnate. Despite the phone-hacking scandal, his political influence and business skills elicit both fear and admiration.

The New Elizabethans: Rupert Murdoch the global media magnate whose career began when he inherited newspapers from his father, founded Australia's first national daily paper, the Australian and then came to the UK to buy The News of the World, The Sun and eventually The Times and The Sunday Times. 

His influence spread to the USA where he acquired other papers, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation and several independent television stations. He formed BSkyB in 1990 which has dominated the British pay-TV market ever since. 

At the age of 81, despite the damage done to his business due to the phone hacking scandal, his political influence and business skills elicit both fear and admiration and Forbes magazine lists him as the 24th most powerful person in the world. 

The New Elizabethans have been chosen by a panel of leading historians, chaired by Lord (Tony) Hall, Chief Executive of London's Royal Opera House. The panellists were Dominic Sandbrook, Bamber Gascoigne, Sally Alexander, Jonathan Agar, Maria Misra and Sir Max Hastings.

They were asked to choose: "Men and women whose actions during the reign of Elizabeth II have had a significant impact on lives in these islands and/or given the age its character, for better or worse.".

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