50 Fun Facts About Rupert Murdoch

In which Australian city was Rupert Murdoch born in 1931?

His father Sir Keith was a war correspondent turned newspaper magnate; his mother Dame Elisabeth lived to 103 and had 74 descendants at 102.

What was Rupert Murdoch's actual first name at birth?

He was named after his father; his grandfather Patrick John Murdoch was a Scottish-born Presbyterian minister who emigrated in 1884.

What nickname did Murdoch earn at Oxford, where he kept a bust of Lenin in his rooms?

He read PPE at Worcester College, joined the university Labour Party and ran the publishing house behind the student paper Cherwell.

For which London newspaper did Murdoch work as a sub-editor for two years after his father's death?

He returned home at 21 to run what was left of the family business, News Limited, founded in 1923.

In which city was the small newspaper, The News, that Murdoch took over from his late father in 1952?

His father's Herald stake had to be sold to pay taxes; the paper became the base for everything that followed.

Which magazine credited Murdoch with 'inventing the modern tabloid'?

His formula: more sport, more scandal and eye-catching headlines, first applied to Australian papers such as Sydney's Daily Mirror.

What was Murdoch doing when he read of a rival bid for The Dominion and launched his first overseas takeover?

The 32-year-old beat Lord Thomson of Fleet in a four-way battle in 1964, the year he also launched Australia's first national daily.

From which Australian rival did Murdoch buy Sydney's Daily Telegraph in 1972?

Packer's grandson-era rivalry was dramatised in the miniseries Power Games: The Packer–Murdoch War.

Which Australian Labor leader did Murdoch briefly back to victory in 1972?

Whitlam's platform included free universal health care and tertiary education; the support proved short-lived.

Whom did Murdoch appoint as The Sun's editor in 1969, telling him he wanted 'a tearaway paper'?

By 1997 the paper claimed 10 million daily readers.

From which Canadian press baron did Murdoch buy The Times and Sunday Times in 1981?

Thomson was tired of losing money during a long print strike; Thatcher's government let the bid through without a monopolies referral.

How many print workers were dismissed when Murdoch moved his London papers to Wapping in 1986?

They had struck on 24 January 1986; after a year of street battles they accepted a £60 million settlement in 1987.

How much did Murdoch offer for Manchester United in 1998, in a bid blocked by the Competition Commission?

It was the largest sum ever offered for a sports club; regulators feared harm to broadcasting competition and 'the quality of British football'.

Which rival operator merged with Murdoch's loss-making Sky Television in 1990 to form BSkyB?

By 1996 BSkyB had 3.6 million subscribers, triple the UK's cable customers.

Who ended up buying Murdoch's 39 percent of BSkyB after a regulator-ordered blind auction in 2018?

Regulators had first insisted he sell Sky News to Disney before Comcast outbid everyone.

What was Murdoch's first American acquisition, in 1973?

He moved to New York the following year, founded the supermarket tabloid Star and bought the New York Post in 1976.

Which gossip column did Murdoch co-found with James Brady on 3 January 1977?

It runs in the New York Post, which he had bought the year before.

Why did Murdoch become a naturalised US citizen in September 1985?

He gave up Australian citizenship in the process; the FCC later ruled his Fox ownership was in the public interest despite challenges.

How much did Murdoch pay Marvin Davis in 1984 for Marc Rich's stake in 20th Century Fox?

Rich's sanctioned Iran trades forced the sale; Murdoch later paid a further $325 million for Davis's remaining stake.

Which company's six television stations became the nucleus of the Fox Broadcasting Company in 1986?

John Kluge sold them; the network launched on 9 October 1986 and later struck gold with The Simpsons and The X-Files.

From which network did Fox take exclusive coverage of the NFL's National Football Conference in 1993?

The deal let Fox expand to seven days a week of programming.

Whom did Murdoch hire as founding CEO of Fox News in 1996?

The channel launched on 7 October 1996 to 17 million cable subscribers; Murdoch himself served as acting CEO after Ailes resigned in 2016.

How much did News Corporation pay in 2005 for Intermix Media, owner of Myspace?

It sold Myspace six years later for just $35 million.

Which family had owned Dow Jones for 105 years before selling to Murdoch in 2007?

His $5 billion offer brought him The Wall Street Journal, Barron's and the Far Eastern Economic Review.

How much was 21st Century Fox's rejected 2014 bid for Time Warner worth in total?

CNN would have been sold to ease antitrust concerns; the offer was withdrawn in August 2014.

How much did Disney ultimately pay for the bulk of 21st Century Fox, closing in March 2019?

The figure was a 10 percent premium over Comcast's rival $65 billion offer; broadcast assets were spun off first into Fox Corporation.

For how many years had the News of the World been in print when it closed in July 2011?

All profits from the final edition went to good causes; 200 jobs were lost.

How did Murdoch describe the day he testified to a Commons committee on phone hacking in July 2011?

The day before, The Sun's website was hacked to carry a fake story that he had died.

To whom did Murdoch personally apologise at a private London meeting on 15 July 2011?

Their daughter's voicemail had been hacked; two full-page apologies followed in national papers.

How did the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee describe Murdoch in its May 2012 report?

Two months later he resigned as a director of News International.

To whom did Murdoch hand leadership of his businesses when he retired in September 2023?

A 2025 settlement of the family trust fight later gave Lachlan outright control over his siblings' objections.

In which US state was the 2024 court case over the Murdoch family trust heard?

James, Elisabeth and Prudence challenged the change; none of the three attended his June 2024 wedding.

How many children does Murdoch have?

Prudence from his first marriage, Elisabeth, Lachlan and James from his second, and Grace and Chloe from his third.

What was the job of Murdoch's second wife, Anna Torv, when they met?

They married in 1967 and divorced in 1999, when she received a settlement of about $1.2 billion in assets.

How many days after his second divorce did Murdoch marry Wendi Deng in 1999?

He was 68, she was 30 and a newly appointed vice-president of his STAR TV; they had two daughters.

Which papal honour did Murdoch receive from Pope John Paul II in 1998?

He often attended Mass with his Catholic wife Anna but never converted; the separation was announced three months later.

At which Fleet Street church did Murdoch marry Jerry Hall in March 2016?

He was a week short of 85 and she 59; the engagement had been announced in The Times.

What was the profession of Elena Zhukova, whom Murdoch married in June 2024 at the age of 93?

Weeks earlier he had called off an engagement to Ann Lesley Smith, reportedly over her religious views.

What is the name of Murdoch's yacht, on which David Cameron held private talks in 2008?

He also gave the name to his 11-bedroom waterfront estate on Centre Island, New York.

What did Murdoch buy in Bel Air in May 2013?

The Moraga Estate joined homes in New York, Beverly Hills and, later, an 18th-century house near Reading bought with Jerry Hall.

Which Succession character was partly inspired by Murdoch?

Brian Cox played him; Murdoch has also voiced himself on The Simpsons and been played by Barry Humphries and Hugh Laurie.

How did Murdoch describe the 2016 Brexit vote?

He denied ever saying that Downing Street did what he told it while Brussels ignored him.

Which side did Murdoch campaign for in Australia's 1999 constitutional referendum?

He had been made a Companion of the Order of Australia in 1984 for services to publishing.

How did Murdoch describe Kevin Rudd in 2009 after the prime minister accused News Limited of vendettas?

He had earlier said Rudd was 'more ambitious to lead the world than to lead Australia' on climate change.

Which campaign made Murdoch's father Keith famous as a war correspondent?

His attacks on the Allied high command's conduct brought him to the notice of Lord Northcliffe, who became his mentor.

For how much did Fox News settle the Dominion Voting Systems defamation suit in April 2023?

During the case Murdoch acknowledged that some Fox commentators had endorsed election-fraud claims they knew were false.

Where was Murdoch educated in Australia, co-editing the journal The Corian?

He went on to read philosophy, politics and economics at Worcester College, Oxford.

Which Hong Kong satellite broadcaster did News Corp buy for $1 billion in 1993?

The deal let Murdoch beam programming from Hong Kong across Asia; his future wife Wendi Deng was a vice-president there when they married.

Which ex-British prime minister was revealed in 2011 as godfather to Murdoch's daughter Grace?

Grace and her sister Chloe are Murdoch's two children with Wendi Deng, both born in New York.

Which Italian prime minister lost a 2009 media dispute to Murdoch, whose Sky Italia he had targeted?

Murdoch holds a controlling interest in the Italian satellite broadcaster, a long-running source of friction in the country.