BskyB & Rupert Murdoch
Author
Discussion

colonel c

Original Poster:

8,056 posts

269 months

Tuesday 21st December 2010
quotequote all
So Vince Cable is now out of the decision making process. Will Jeremy Hunt give News Corporation the nod to take full control of BskyB. And given that Rupert Murdoch has reportedly express the view that SKY News should be more like FOX News is that a good thing?

Dimski

2,100 posts

229 months

Tuesday 21st December 2010
quotequote all
I should think he will.

Rules have recently been relaxed regarding cross medium ownership rules at the local level, my feeling is that this is similar on a national level.

I'm not keen on Jeremy Hunt. I think he has his own ideas, and wishes to push those forward, even if it costs the public purse to do so. Just my opinion though!

Derek Smith

49,945 posts

278 months

Tuesday 21st December 2010
quotequote all
Murdoch has been putting a lot of pressure on the government because he supported them during the elctions campaign. However, he's already got Sky news, which is Fox lite. if he gets full control of BSB then things will get a lot worse.

He's been attacking the BBC, telling Cameron to cut their assets. They will lose the Radio Times soon and will have to cut back on some of their other channels. Further, Murdoch wants the BBC to cut back on it website news as he wants people to pay for his firewall Times. There has been a suggestion that Murdoch will divest himself of The Times - tending to support the reports that his firewall is not yet oversubscribed. Whether this means he will contiue the attack or not is up for grabs.

Whatever, Murdoch's influence is unlikely to be for the betterment of our television or news. Nor are prices likely to drop. Certainly their news is terribly biased at the moment. Murdoch's attempt at what will be a virtual monopoly is certainly not good news. The problem is that he and many politicians believe he can influence the outcome of elections so they will want to keep him on their side.

BSB might well become the Sun in the sky.

12gauge

1,274 posts

204 months

Tuesday 21st December 2010
quotequote all
Fox news stands out like a sore thumb because its the only non-liberal news channel out there. We should have a good conservative news outlet, but it shouldnt be like fox.

Unfortunately it also takes a needlessly tabloidy populist viewpoint, ive always regarded it as the Jerry Springer of news. Sky would probably do something similar, i remember they hired Littlejohn at one point as if to prove their knuckleheaded credentials. OTOH BBC doesnt mind putting Toynbee up there to embarass herself on a regular basis, so maybe it would work.

BBC news is awful, but at least it presents itself in a serious way and isnt overtly zionist like all the american news networks.

550Hep

3,135 posts

247 months

Tuesday 21st December 2010
quotequote all
Derek Smith said:
Murdoch has been putting a lot of pressure on the government because he supported them during the elctions campaign. However, he's already got Sky news, which is Fox lite. if he gets full control of BSB then things will get a lot worse.

He's been attacking the BBC, telling Cameron to cut their assets. They will lose the Radio Times soon and will have to cut back on some of their other channels. Further, Murdoch wants the BBC to cut back on it website news as he wants people to pay for his firewall Times. There has been a suggestion that Murdoch will divest himself of The Times - tending to support the reports that his firewall is not yet oversubscribed. Whether this means he will contiue the attack or not is up for grabs.

Whatever, Murdoch's influence is unlikely to be for the betterment of our television or news. Nor are prices likely to drop. Certainly their news is terribly biased at the moment. Murdoch's attempt at what will be a virtual monopoly is certainly not good news. The problem is that he and many politicians believe he can influence the outcome of elections so they will want to keep him on their side.

BSB might well become the Sun in the sky.
Spot on chap, however one thing he will loose at is the free web news game. Maybe from the BBC if they are that spineless, but there are better much more quality news outlets out there that will NEVER bow to the likes of Murdoch and his dumb ass schemes... He has tried and he has failed and more than once in the last 2-3 years with one in particular and time and time again he gets shown the door before an actual conversation!

Jimbeaux

33,791 posts

261 months

Wednesday 22nd December 2010
quotequote all
Derek Smith said:
Murdoch has been putting a lot of pressure on the government because he supported them during the elctions campaign. However, he's already got Sky news, which is Fox lite. if he gets full control of BSB then things will get a lot worse.

He's been attacking the BBC, telling Cameron to cut their assets. They will lose the Radio Times soon and will have to cut back on some of their other channels. Further, Murdoch wants the BBC to cut back on it website news as he wants people to pay for his firewall Times. There has been a suggestion that Murdoch will divest himself of The Times - tending to support the reports that his firewall is not yet oversubscribed. Whether this means he will contiue the attack or not is up for grabs.

Whatever, Murdoch's influence is unlikely to be for the betterment of our television or news. Nor are prices likely to drop. Certainly their news is terribly biased at the moment. Murdoch's attempt at what will be a virtual monopoly is certainly not good news. The problem is that he and many politicians believe he can influence the outcome of elections so they will want to keep him on their side.

BSB might well become the Sun in the sky.
His news' bias is no more than other networks are to the other extreme IMO.

Jimbeaux

33,791 posts

261 months

Wednesday 22nd December 2010
quotequote all
12gauge said:
BBC news is awful, but at least it presents itself in a serious way and isnt overtly zionist like all the american news networks.
What exactly are you trying to say??

Derek Smith

49,945 posts

278 months

Wednesday 22nd December 2010
quotequote all
Jimbeaux said:
His news' bias is no more than other networks are to the other extreme IMO.
I followed ITV's election coverage, before, during and after, and it was superb. I would suggest that any bias was impossible to find. One look at Sky News and it oozed out.

If ITV put its support behind a particular party, like Murdoch did, then there would be all sorts of complaints, and quite rightly. But for the owner of The Times and the Sun it seems it doesn't matter.

But the main problem is the lack of news from Europe. I read that we get 20x the coverage of what goes on in the USA than we do for Germany. The nicely round figure is suspicious of course but things must happen in Germany every now and again yet it isn't mentioned on Sky. It is almost as if Murdoch's Fox News is totally and utterly anti-EU.

We are told of the anti-British feelings of much of the EU yet we get little evidence of it. The USA is presented as our best mate on Sky yet there are senators attacking BP for the release of the man who had nothing to do with the Pan-Am bombing and if your pension fund is in any way linked to BP shares, which it probably is in this country, then wave goodbye to it 'cause the yanks are out to skin it.

There have been lots of criticisms on here of BBC news bias but it is the only news outlet that is under constant surveillance for bias by politicians for the slightest suspicion of slanted reporting. I think the adjective 'extreme' is by no means applicable to the BBC's news reporting. Their programmes and opinion bits might be different but that's another subject. Sky news, however . . .

BBC has some great 'columnists'. They seem to be always under attack from whatever is the current government. I accept that that does not prove lack of bias for any particular political slant but it does suggest that it is taking up the mantle of a check on goverment excesses.

ITV news is criticsed less but its funding is nowhere near as great as that of the BBC or News Corp. With the government limiting the BBC's income and freedom of action, strangely very similar to Murdoch's demands, they will have to cut back. They too will lose their on-the-spot reporters and we will revert to wire feeds.

Newspapers are failing and we have already become dependant on television for much of our news. There's the internet of course but the news content away from the online papers and the BBC is quite poor. There is little doubt that the BBC will be forced to cut its on line news output even more following demands from Murdoch.

We laugh at China for its controlled news outlets. How can these people believe the biased rubbish that they are fed on a daily basis. Yet the information on which you form your opinions is, to a considerable extent, controlled by one man. The fact that it is with, apparently, the connivance of the government just makes us Chinese.

The BBC news and opinion programmes are under attack. With that idiot MP shooting his mouth off it would seem that his replacement has already made up his mind to allow Murdoch to dominate our news.

chimster

1,747 posts

239 months

Wednesday 22nd December 2010
quotequote all
This ^^^^^^

JagLover

46,814 posts

265 months

Wednesday 22nd December 2010
quotequote all
I have no problem with Sky News presenting a right wing viewpoint, but it should do so intelligently.

I usually watch Channel 4 news, not because I agree with their political viewpoint, but because it is the least 'tabloid' like of the main news channels.


frosted

3,549 posts

207 months

Wednesday 22nd December 2010
quotequote all
SKY NEWS SUCKS BIG TIME , it's like watching news for the seriously brain dead . I also prefer ch4 news

GeraldSmith

6,887 posts

247 months

Wednesday 22nd December 2010
quotequote all
The thing that will surprise a lot of people is that BSB isn't already fully Murdoch owned and controlled. With 39% and James Murdoch as the Chairman, how different is a 100% News Corp owned BSB going to be from what is there now?

JagLover

46,814 posts

265 months

Wednesday 22nd December 2010
quotequote all
GeraldSmith said:
The thing that will surprise a lot of people is that BSB isn't already fully Murdoch owned and controlled. With 39% and James Murdoch as the Chairman, how different is a 100% News Corp owned BSB going to be from what is there now?
Not very

I fail to see therefore how there is any grounds for blocking it on competition grounds. Or why this should be a news story at all.

GeraldSmith

6,887 posts

247 months

Wednesday 22nd December 2010
quotequote all
JagLover said:
GeraldSmith said:
The thing that will surprise a lot of people is that BSB isn't already fully Murdoch owned and controlled. With 39% and James Murdoch as the Chairman, how different is a 100% News Corp owned BSB going to be from what is there now?
Not very

I fail to see therefore how there is any grounds for blocking it on competition grounds. Or why this should be a news story at all.
Well, exactly, seems like a non story to me, they already have effective control.

12gauge

1,274 posts

204 months

Wednesday 22nd December 2010
quotequote all
Jimbeaux said:
12gauge said:
BBC news is awful, but at least it presents itself in a serious way and isnt overtly zionist like all the american news networks.
What exactly are you trying to say??
I would have thought that is obvious.

BBC isnt unquestioningly sympathetic to Israel, unlike every US news network.

dandarez

14,036 posts

313 months

Wednesday 22nd December 2010
quotequote all
Derek Smith said:
Jimbeaux said:
His news' bias is no more than other networks are to the other extreme IMO.
I followed ITV's election coverage, before, during and after, and it was superb. I would suggest that any bias was impossible to find. One look at Sky News and it oozed out.

If ITV put its support behind a particular party, like Murdoch did, then there would be all sorts of complaints, and quite rightly. But for the owner of The Times and the Sun it seems it doesn't matter.

But the main problem is the lack of news from Europe. I read that we get 20x the coverage of what goes on in the USA than we do for Germany. The nicely round figure is suspicious of course but things must happen in Germany every now and again yet it isn't mentioned on Sky. It is almost as if Murdoch's Fox News is totally and utterly anti-EU.

We are told of the anti-British feelings of much of the EU yet we get little evidence of it. The USA is presented as our best mate on Sky yet there are senators attacking BP for the release of the man who had nothing to do with the Pan-Am bombing and if your pension fund is in any way linked to BP shares, which it probably is in this country, then wave goodbye to it 'cause the yanks are out to skin it.

There have been lots of criticisms on here of BBC news bias but it is the only news outlet that is under constant surveillance for bias by politicians for the slightest suspicion of slanted reporting. I think the adjective 'extreme' is by no means applicable to the BBC's news reporting. Their programmes and opinion bits might be different but that's another subject. Sky news, however . . .

BBC has some great 'columnists'. They seem to be always under attack from whatever is the current government. I accept that that does not prove lack of bias for any particular political slant but it does suggest that it is taking up the mantle of a check on goverment excesses.

ITV news is criticsed less but its funding is nowhere near as great as that of the BBC or News Corp. With the government limiting the BBC's income and freedom of action, strangely very similar to Murdoch's demands, they will have to cut back. They too will lose their on-the-spot reporters and we will revert to wire feeds.

Newspapers are failing and we have already become dependant on television for much of our news. There's the internet of course but the news content away from the online papers and the BBC is quite poor. There is little doubt that the BBC will be forced to cut its on line news output even more following demands from Murdoch.

We laugh at China for its controlled news outlets. How can these people believe the biased rubbish that they are fed on a daily basis. Yet the information on which you form your opinions is, to a considerable extent, controlled by one man. The fact that it is with, apparently, the connivance of the government just makes us Chinese.

The BBC news and opinion programmes are under attack. With that idiot MP shooting his mouth off it would seem that his replacement has already made up his mind to allow Murdoch to dominate our news.
99 per cent with all of that.

However, I don't laugh at China (they laugh at us though!).

The connivance, as you suggest, may as well make us 'Chinese' too, but the difference is their economy is booming, while ours is... well, the bloody opposite!

dbdb

5,239 posts

203 months

Wednesday 22nd December 2010
quotequote all
Derek Smith said:
Jimbeaux said:
His news' bias is no more than other networks are to the other extreme IMO.
I followed ITV's election coverage, before, during and after, and it was superb. I would suggest that any bias was impossible to find. One look at Sky News and it oozed out.

If ITV put its support behind a particular party, like Murdoch did, then there would be all sorts of complaints, and quite rightly. But for the owner of The Times and the Sun it seems it doesn't matter.

But the main problem is the lack of news from Europe. I read that we get 20x the coverage of what goes on in the USA than we do for Germany. The nicely round figure is suspicious of course but things must happen in Germany every now and again yet it isn't mentioned on Sky. It is almost as if Murdoch's Fox News is totally and utterly anti-EU.

We are told of the anti-British feelings of much of the EU yet we get little evidence of it. The USA is presented as our best mate on Sky yet there are senators attacking BP for the release of the man who had nothing to do with the Pan-Am bombing and if your pension fund is in any way linked to BP shares, which it probably is in this country, then wave goodbye to it 'cause the yanks are out to skin it.

There have been lots of criticisms on here of BBC news bias but it is the only news outlet that is under constant surveillance for bias by politicians for the slightest suspicion of slanted reporting. I think the adjective 'extreme' is by no means applicable to the BBC's news reporting. Their programmes and opinion bits might be different but that's another subject. Sky news, however . . .

BBC has some great 'columnists'. They seem to be always under attack from whatever is the current government. I accept that that does not prove lack of bias for any particular political slant but it does suggest that it is taking up the mantle of a check on goverment excesses.

ITV news is criticsed less but its funding is nowhere near as great as that of the BBC or News Corp. With the government limiting the BBC's income and freedom of action, strangely very similar to Murdoch's demands, they will have to cut back. They too will lose their on-the-spot reporters and we will revert to wire feeds.

Newspapers are failing and we have already become dependant on television for much of our news. There's the internet of course but the news content away from the online papers and the BBC is quite poor. There is little doubt that the BBC will be forced to cut its on line news output even more following demands from Murdoch.

We laugh at China for its controlled news outlets. How can these people believe the biased rubbish that they are fed on a daily basis. Yet the information on which you form your opinions is, to a considerable extent, controlled by one man. The fact that it is with, apparently, the connivance of the government just makes us Chinese.

The BBC news and opinion programmes are under attack. With that idiot MP shooting his mouth off it would seem that his replacement has already made up his mind to allow Murdoch to dominate our news.
I agree.

dbdb

5,239 posts

203 months

Wednesday 22nd December 2010
quotequote all
12gauge said:
Jimbeaux said:
12gauge said:
BBC news is awful, but at least it presents itself in a serious way and isnt overtly zionist like all the american news networks.
What exactly are you trying to say??
I would have thought that is obvious.

BBC isnt unquestioningly sympathetic to Israel, unlike every US news network.
I agree.

Mikeyboy

5,018 posts

265 months

Wednesday 22nd December 2010
quotequote all
JagLover said:
I have no problem with Sky News presenting a right wing viewpoint, but it should do so intelligently.

I usually watch Channel 4 news, not because I agree with their political viewpoint, but because it is the least 'tabloid' like of the main news channels.
Hmm you should have a problem with any news network having any form of bias. News is supposed to tell you the facts in an unbiased objective manner allowing you to make your own opinion.

The fact that news networks and papers are not unbiased shouldn't be encouraged but discouraged, and I have to say that Murdoch has a very patchy and mostly negative record of letting his outlets be independent of his point of view and that would worry me with these plans.

And before anyone says something very PH. I couldn't care less if his opinions are right or left wing. I just shouldn't have to know what his opinion is at all. It is no more important than mine or my neighbours.

Jimbeaux

33,791 posts

261 months

Wednesday 22nd December 2010
quotequote all
Derek Smith said:
The USA is presented as our best mate on Sky yet there are senators attacking BP for the release of the man who had nothing to do with the Pan-Am bombing and if your pension fund is in any way linked to BP shares, which it probably is in this country, then wave goodbye to it 'cause the yanks are out to skin it.
That's classic! hehe