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Watch Dynasty The Murdochs () free Season 1 Episode 2 online in HD on Dailymotion (2026).
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00:08WELCOME ONE AND ALL LADIES AND GENTLEMEN TO THE LATE SHOW.
00:10I'M YOUR HOST, STEPHEN COLBERT.
00:13ABOUT TWO HOURS AGO, FOX NEWS SETTLED THEIR DEFAMATION SUIT
00:18WITH DOMINION VOTING SYSTEMS.
00:20DAMN IT!
00:21I WANTED TO SEE RUPERT MODARK PUT HIS HAND ON THE BIBLE AND
00:24BURST INTO FLAMES.
00:302023 WAS ONE OF THE WORST YEARS IN RUPERT'S ENTIRE CAREER.
00:36FOX NEWS SETTLED A LAWSUIT WITH THE DOMINION VOTING MACHINE
00:42COMPANY FOR ALMOST A BILLION DOLLARS.
00:45FOX WAS ALREADY STRAPPED FOR CASH.
00:47TUCKER CARLSON CAN ONLY AFFORD ONE FACIAL EXPRESSION.
00:50DOMINION HAD ACCUSED FOX NEWS OF KNOWINGLY PUSHING FALSE
00:52CONSPIRACY THEORIES ABOUT WHAT FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP HAD
00:55CLAIMED WERE RIGGED VOTING MACHINES.
00:57SO FOX KNEW THIS WAS ALL BS AND YET THEY WERE HYPING IT TO
01:01THEIR VIEWERS ANYWAY.
01:04DURING THE 2020 PRESIDENTIAL RACE, FOX HOSTS GAVE AIRTIME
01:08TO CONSPIRACY THEORIES ABOUT A STOLEN ELECTION.
01:11THESE FRAUDULENT BALLOTS WILL JUST BE COUNTERED AGAIN.
01:14FOX NEWS IS TRYING TO SELL THEIR BULLSHIT THAT TRUMP REALLY WON THE ELECTION.
01:18THE MACHINE RAN AN ALGORITHM THAT SHAVED VOTES FROM TRUMP AND AWARDED THEM TO BIDEN.
01:23THE JUDGE RULED THAT EVERYTHING FOX AIRD ABOUT DOMINION AND ITS VOTING MACHINES
01:28IN THE 2020 ELECTION WAS FALSE.
01:32THEIR DECISION TO BUY INTO THE BIG LIE CREATED A CREDIBILITY PROBLEM FOR THE COMPANY
01:37AND FOR SHAREHOLDERS.
01:39SO THERE ARE TENSIONS WITHIN THE MURDOCK FAMILY.
01:43LIZ, JAMES, AND PRUE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE DIRECTION OF THE COMPANY UNDER LACHLAN
01:49BECAUSE THIS DOMINION VOTING SETTLEMENT HAPPENED UNDER HIS LEADERSHIP.
01:54AT FOX NEWS, THERE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PUSH TO THE RIGHT, BUT NOW THIS IS AN EXISTENTIAL MATTER
02:02FOR THE FAMILY.
02:03AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT IS AT STAKE.
02:06I MEAN, THIS IS THE MOST POWERFUL MEDIA EMPIRE IN THE WORLD.
02:10AND IT BEGINS TO PROVOKE A CONVERSATION AMONG THE CHILDREN ABOUT, WELL, WHAT IS GONNA HAPPEN
02:16WHEN RUPERT DIES?
02:17WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
02:18WHAT WILL HAPPEN WITH THE COMPANIES?
02:23SO JAMES IS PASSING THROUGH LONDON, AND HE REACHES OUT TO LIZ AND PRUE TO MEET WITH THEM.
02:30IT'S WORTH ACKNOWLEDGING LACHLAN IS NOT INVITED.
02:36JAMES RESERVES A PRIVATE ROOM INSIDE THE CLARIDGE HOTEL IN LONDON.
02:40AND THAT MEETING BECOMES A SOURCE OF A LOT OF DEBATE AND A LOT OF CONTROVERSY.
02:48BECAUSE AS THIS IS ALL UNSPOOLING, THERE'S THIS ARTICLE IN THE FINANCIAL TIMES THAT REALLY SETS
02:55LACHLAN OFF.
02:57THERE'S A QUOTE FROM A SOURCE CLOSE TO JAMES THAT SAYS, BASICALLY, WHEN RUPERT DIES,
03:03LACHLAN'S OUT.
03:04OF COURSE, THAT FUELS LACHLAN'S PARANOIA.
03:07WHO WAS GOING TO SUCCEED WAITING ON THE WAITING...
03:09THE CHATTER THAT JAMES WILL AFFECT A COUP WITH HIS SISTERS WAS, IN LACHLAN'S EARS, DEAFENING.
03:17THE CLEAR INDICATION IS, IF JAMES WERE TO SOMEHOW AFFECT A COUP, HE WOULD CHANGE THE DIRECTION
03:23OF FOX AND WOULD TAKE IT TO THE LEFT.
03:27AND THAT'S ALL VERY MUCH IN THE AIR AS THIS MEETING HAPPENS.
03:33SO, AT CLARIDGE'S, LIZ, JAMES, AND PREW ARE DEFINITELY VENTING ABOUT LACHLAN,
03:38BUT ALL SAY THAT THEY DIDN'T TALK ABOUT GETTING RID OF HIM.
03:42THE MOST MEMORABLE THING ABOUT IT IS LIZ HAS A BEER.
03:46BUT AFTERWARD, PRUE GETS AN ALARMING TEXT FROM LACHLAN, ASKING HER TO CALL HIM.
03:54PRUE IS BESIDE HERSELF.
03:57MAYBE HE'S FOUND OUT ABOUT THEIR MEETING.
03:59SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY.
04:02AND SHE WRITES TO LIZ.
04:04LACHLAN TRYING TO REACH ME.
04:06AND SHE DOES A KIND OF EXPLODING HEAD EMOJI.
04:12BUT, AS IT TURNS OUT, HE WAS REACHING OUT TO TELL HER ABOUT SOME CHANGES AT ONE OF THE COMPANY'S
04:19BOARDS.
04:20SO IT WAS ACTUALLY PRETTY INNOCULOUS.
04:23BUT STILL, LACHLAN'S VERY UNHAPPY.
04:26HE'S CONSTANTLY REMINDING HIS DAD OR POINTING OUT TO HIS DAD,
04:28LOOK, LOOK, LOOK, THEY'RE PLANNING THE COUP.
04:32RUPERT SPENT HIS ENTIRE LIFETIME BUILDING FOX NEWS AND THE REST OF THE CONSERVATIVE EMPIRE.
04:38SO HE SEES IT AS HIS LEGACY.
04:42AND THERE IS ONLY ONE OF HIS CHILDREN THAT RUPERT TRUST WITH THE MURDOCH MEDIA EMPIRE OPERATING IN THE INTERESTS
04:51OF CONSERVATIVE POLITICS.
04:53HE KNOWS LACHLAN WILL ACT AS AN INSTRUMENT OF HIS WILL, EVEN POSTHUMOUSLY.
04:57SO RUPERT AND LACHLAN DECIDE, WE'VE GOT TO FIGURE THIS OUT.
05:03AND THUS BEGINS AN AGGRESSIVE PLOT TO TAKE CONTROL OF THE EMPIRE ONCE AND FOR ALL.
05:26RUPERT ALWAYS PORTRAYS HIMSELF AS SOMEONE WHO CAME FROM NOTHING, WHO BUILT HIS EMPIRE OUT OF NOTHING.
05:33BUT HE GREW UP IN A HOUSE THAT HAD 30 ROOMS.
05:36IT HAD A TOWER, FOUR ACRES OF GARDENS, A BALLROOM.
05:42THEY HAD TEN SERVANTS.
05:44SO RUPERT WASN'T JUST BORN WITH A SILVER SPOON IN HIS MOUTH.
05:47HE HAD A WHOLE SET OF GOLD CUTLERY.
05:52HIS FATHER, KEITH MURDOCH, WAS THE MOST POWERFUL NEWSPAPER MAN IN AUSTRALIA,
05:57WITH ONE OF THE TOP-SELLING TABLOIDS IN MELBOURNE.
06:00AND RUPERT GREW UP WANTING TO EMULATE HIS FATHER.
06:03THE WAY THAT HIS FATHER MADE MONEY WAS THROUGH A POPULIST MESSAGING APPARATUS.
06:11HE PIONEERS THIS MODERN TABLOID JOURNALISM IN AUSTRALIA.
06:14SNAPPY HEADLINES, COMPETITIONS, SPORT AND CRIME.
06:19HE WAS ALSO A KINGMAKER IN HIS DAY.
06:22HE WAS ABLE TO SEAT AND UNSEAT PRIME MINISTERS.
06:27RUPERT'S BORN IN 1931.
06:29HE'S THE SECOND CHILD.
06:30THE FIRST IS A GIRL.
06:32TWO MORE GIRLS COME AFTER.
06:33RUPERT, AS THE BOY, WAS NATURALLY THE ONE THAT HIS FATHER LOOKED TO TO SUCCEED HIM.
06:38BUT HE WAS NOT GREAT AT SPORTS.
06:41HE WAS NOT PARTICULARLY FOCUSED IN SCHOOL.
06:44HIS HEADMASTER SAID HE WAS THE MOST UNPLEASANT, MOST DIFFICULT PUPLE HE'D EVER TAUGHT.
06:51HE WAS REBELLIOUS, ARROGANT, DIDN'T LIKE AUTHORITY.
06:56SO HE'S A GUY WHO'S GOT A LOT OF PRIVILEGE ABOUT HIM.
06:59AND HE BEHAVES LIKE THAT.
07:03KEITH HAD SENT HIM TO OXFORD TO RUB SHOULDERS WITH FUTURE INFLUENCES
07:07AND MAKE SOMETHING OF HIMSELF.
07:10AND INSTEAD RUPERT WAS DRIVING FAST, GAMBLING, DRINKING, SMOKING, HAVING A GREAT TIME.
07:19SO KEITH MURDOCK WAS NOT CONVINCED THAT RUPERT WAS A GOOD REPRESENTATION
07:23OF WHAT THE MURDOCK FAMILY NAME SHOULD EMBODY.
07:30I WAS SLEEPING IN ONE SUNDAY MORNING IN MY FLAT AT BOXFORD.
07:34BUT WHEN MY TUDOR CAME IN AND WOKE ME UP AND TOLD ME THAT MY FATHER HAD DIED,
07:39ANY MEMORY I REALLY HAVE OF IT IS ONE OF COMPLETE SHOCK.
07:43RUPERT'S FATHER DIED RATHER ABRUPTLY.
07:47IN HIS WILL, KEITH MURDOCK SAID THAT HE HOPED FOR HIS ONLY SON, KEITH RUPERT MURDOCK,
07:54TO HAVE A USEFUL, ALTRUISTIC, AND FULL LIFE IN NEWSPAPERING AND BROADCASTING,
08:01WHICH IS QUITE A CHARGE.
08:03I WAS BURDENED WITH THIS ANXIETY FOR RUPERT, WHO WAS SO VERY YOUNG,
08:12AND I DID LONG TO BE ABLE TO HELP RUPERT TO PROVE WORTHY OF HIS FATHER.
08:20FROM ELIZABETH'S PERSPECTIVE, SHE'S GOT THIS 21-YEAR-OLD SON,
08:24WHO'S TOTALLY UNPROVEN WHEN IT COMES TO BEING A JOURNALIST,
08:27LET ALONE RUNNING A MEDIA EMPIRE.
08:30AND SO AFTER THE FUNERAL, KEITH MURDOCK'S FORMER COLLEAGUES TAKE CONTROL.
08:34THE EXECUTIVES OF HIS ESTATE TALKED TO DAME ELIZABETH
08:37INTO SELLING THE BULK OF THE MEDIA BUSINESS THAT KEITH HAD BUILT UP.
08:42RUPERT IS OUTRAGED.
08:45HE BELIEVES THAT THE PEOPLE THAT USED TO WORK FOR HIS FATHER
08:47HAVE NOW BETRAYED HIM, AND HIS INHERITANCE HAS BEEN STOLEN OUT FROM UNDER HIM.
08:52RUPERT CARRIED THIS WITH HIM FOR HIS ENTIRE LIFE.
08:55NOT A CHIP, BUT A BOULDER ON HIS SHOULDER.
08:58AND HE SPENDS THE NEXT 45 YEARS GETTING EVEN.
09:09PEOPLE ALWAYS ASK, WHAT DRIVES RUPERT?
09:12EVERYONE THINKS THAT IT'S MONEY, BUT IT'S REALLY THE GAME.
09:16BY THE MID-90s, RUPERT WAS ON A WINNING STREAK.
09:20THE MURDOCK EMPIRE IS SPRAWLING.
09:24IT'S IN THE U.S., U.K., AND AUSTRALIA.
09:27HE HAS 20TH CENTURY FOX, MOVIE STUDIOS, TELEVISION.
09:31HIS ENORMOUS COMMUNICATIONS EMPIRE INCLUDES EVERYTHING FROM SATELLITE COMPANIES
09:37TO SOME OF THE BIGGEST NEWSPAPERS IN THE WORLD.
09:39FORBES MAGAZINE ESTIMATES HIS FORTUNE TO BE WORTH $4 BILLION.
09:43RUPERT MURDOCK HAD ALREADY ACQUIRED A VILLAINESS REPUTATION
09:48FOR HIS DOWN-MARKET TABLOIDS AND CONSERVATIVE POLITICS.
09:53OUR COMPANY IS A REFLECTION OF MY THINKING, MY CHARACTER AND MY VALUES.
09:58HIS GUIDING LIGHT WAS POKING WHOEVER HE VIEWED AS THE ESTABLISHMENT.
10:04WHEN IT'S GOING WELL, PUSH IT.
10:101996 IS THE MOST IMPORTANT YEAR IN RUPERT MURDOCK'S CAREER.
10:16AND IT'S IMPORTANT FOR TWO WORDS. FOX NEWS.
10:20AS YOU KNOW, FOX HAS HAD A PHENOMENAL GROWTH IN THE LAST FEW YEARS.
10:23AND NOW WE HAVE TO MOVE TO MAKING OURSELVES THE BEST IN NEWS PROGRAMMING.
10:30RUPERT SAW A REAL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY.
10:32GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME TO MSNBC.
10:34YOU SAW ALL OF THE NEWS OPERATIONS FIGHTING FOR THE SAME LEFT OF CENTER AUDIENCE.
10:39AND THERE'S NO REAL CONSERVATIVE VOICE IN THE NEWS.
10:43MURDOCK IS BOWING TO OFFER AN ALTERNATIVE TO WHAT HE CLAIMS IS A LIBERAL BIAS IN THE MEDIA.
10:48RECOGNIZING AN AUDIENCE THAT ISN'T BEING CATERED TO AND SPEAKING TO THEM DIRECTLY.
10:53THIS IS THE MODEL FOR THE MURDOCK MEDIA EMPIRE.
10:56SO, RUPERT LAUNCHED FOX NEWS.
10:58WE'VE BEEN VERY LUCKY IN BEING ABLE TO OBTAIN THE SERVICES OF MR. ROGER ALES.
11:06I'D LIKE TO THANK MR. MURDOCK FOR THE KIND WORDS. THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING THIS MORNING.
11:10RUPERT MURDOCK, ROGER ALES WAS DEEP INTO CONSERVATIVE POLITICS.
11:14WE'D LIKE TO RESTORE OBJECTIVITY WHERE WE FIND IT LACKING.
11:19AND WE JUST EXPECT TO DO FINE, BALANCED JOURNALISM.
11:24ROGER ALES IS ONE OF THE SMARTEST PEOPLE I'VE MET. SMARTEST, CANNY.
11:29IT'S LIKE TALKING TO SATAN. LIKE, SATAN'S SMART.
11:33DEPENDS WHO YOU ARE, HOW YOU DESCRIBE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ROGER ALES AND RUPERT MURDOCK.
11:40THEY ARE EITHER SUPERVILLAINS THAT CAME TOGETHER TO DOMINATE THE WORLD.
11:46OR THEY ARE MUTUAL GENIUSES WHO RECOGNIZE MARKET VALUE.
11:51CONSIDERING HIS CHOICE OF ALES AND THAT HIS CONSERVATIVE FINGERPRINTS ARE SMUDGED ALL OVER HIS NEWSPAPERS,
11:57MANY ANALYSTS WONDER IF HE WILL USE THE TV NEWS CHANNEL TO SPREAD HIS GOSPEL.
12:02HOW DID IT HAPPEN? HOW DID TELEVISION NEWS BECOME SO PREDICTABLE AND IN SOME CASES SO BORING?
12:08WELL, WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO BE DIFFERENT.
12:11WE LAUNCHED IN THE FALL OF 1996.
12:14DEBUT OF THE FOX NEWS CHANNEL.
12:15WE WERE SORT OF OUTCASTS LIKE PIRATES.
12:18AND BEING PART OF THAT SORT OF OUTSIDER, ANTI-ESTABLISHMENT CRUSADE WAS FUN.
12:24BUT ONE OF MY FELLOW EDITORS AT CNN SAID,
12:27BE CAREFUL.
12:29ALES DOES NOT HAVE THE BEST REPUTATION.
12:31HE HAS THIS PUGNACIOUS SORT OF STYLE.
12:33SO HE WAS KNOWN AS A RUTHLESS CHARACTER.
12:37THE FOX NEWS CHANNEL WAS ROGER'S FIEFDOM.
12:40HE HAD A LOT OF LATITUDE AND UNILATERAL CONTROL.
12:44BUT HE FOLLOWED THE PLAYBOOK OF THE OTHER MURDOCK MEDIA PROPERTIES.
12:49IT WAS TAKING THE ETHOS OF THE NEW YORK POST
12:52AND BRINGING IT TO A VIBRANT TELEVISION SCREEN.
12:56WHETHER IT WAS AN AMERICAN FLAG OR SPLASHY GRAPHICS,
13:00THERE'S SOMETHING TO LOOK AT.
13:02DING, FOX NEWS ALERT.
13:04DING, OVER AND OVER AND OVER.
13:08THEY BELIEVED THAT YOU HAD TO GRAB THE AUDIENCE, THE VIEWER, VISUALLY FIRST.
13:14FOX HIRED PEOPLE WHO WERE GOOD-LOOKING.
13:18MORE MAKEUP, MORE HAIR SPRAY, SHORTER SKIRTS AND HIGHER HEELS.
13:24ROGER ELSE CAME UP WITH THE IDEA OF A TRANSLUCENT DESK
13:27BECAUSE HE WANTED THE AUDIENCE TO BE ABLE TO SEE THE LEGS OF HIS FEMALE ANCHORS.
13:31GOT RID OF VALEDICTORIANS.
13:32AILS WANTED AN IMAGE THAT YOU WOULD STOP ON.
13:35AND, YOU KNOW, I DON'T THINK HE WAS WRONG.
13:41THEY REALIZED THAT WHAT THE AMERICAN PUBLIC WANTED ALMOST MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE
13:47WAS AN ATTRACTIVE YOUNG WOMAN WITH THE OPINIONS OF AN OLD MAN.
13:52AND JUST AS AILS AND RUPERT MURDOCK ARE LAUNCHING FOX, A STORY ON THE NATIONAL STAGE BREAKS THROUGH.
14:01THE PRESIDENT'S ON TRIAL.
14:03THE IMPEACHMENT TRIAL OF PRESIDENT CLINTON.
14:05BILL CLINTON STRUNG US ALL ALONG.
14:07IT'S BILL CLINTON'S ALLEGED AFFAIR WITH MONICA LEWINSKI.
14:11AND IT'S CATNIP FOR FOX NEWS' VIEWERS.
14:15CBS NEWS HAS UNCOVERED NEW PICTURES.
14:17NOW, EVERYBODY WAS COVERING THAT STORY.
14:19BUT NO ONE WAS COVERING IT WITH THE SAME KIND OF GLEE THAT FOX WAS.
14:24THIS IS A VERY GOOD DAY FOR A NUMBER OF LAWYERS INVOLVED IN THE MONICA LEWINSKI INVESTIGATION.
14:28WE'RE HITTING A SITTING PRESIDENT, WE'RE HITTING HIM HARD.
14:31HE DEFINITELY LIED.
14:33WE WERE ENCOURAGED TO PLAY BY A DIFFERENT SET OF RULES, TO GO ALL IN ON A SCANDALOUS, TABLOID KIND
14:39OF STORY
14:41WITHOUT THE KIND OF CAREFUL JOURNALISTIC BALANCE THAT HAD PRECEDED YEARS BEFORE.
14:46THE LEWINSKI CASE CHALLENGES ALL OF US.
14:48YOU AND I, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, WILL HAVE TO RENDER THE FINAL VERDICT.
14:53THAT'S REALLY WHEN FOX NEWS CHANNEL FOUND ITS VOICE.
14:57AND THE RATINGS SPIKED.
15:00TONIGHT IT'S WORTH POINTING OUT THAT THE FOX NEWS CHANNEL HAS SUCCEEDED AGAINST ALL ODDS.
15:05IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE THAT THEY COULD HAVE LAUNCHED WITH AS MUCH OF A BANG IF THEY DIDN'T HAVE THAT
15:10STORY TO CHEW ON EVERY SINGLE NIGHT.
15:14FOX NEWS ESTABLISHED THAT YOU CAN MAKE A TON OF MONEY AND GET A HUGE AUDIENCE, NOT BY DOING STRAIGHT
15:18NEWS, BUT BY GIVING PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT TO HEAR.
15:21FOR ALL YOU KIDS WATCHING AT HOME, SANTA JUST IS WHITE.
15:25YOU KNOW, I MEAN, JESUS WAS A WHITE MAN TOO.
15:28THEY TOOK THIS POPULIST TENDENCY AND PUT IT ON STEROIDS.
15:32MEXICO HAS ANNOUNCED IT WILL PROVIDE UP TO 200,000 SURVIVAL KITS FOR THOSE PLANNING TO ILLEGALLY CROSS THE BORDER
15:40INTO THE U.S.
15:41RUPERT SAID IT WAS LIKE PICKING MONEY OFF THE STREET.
15:45HE WAS SHAMELESS ABOUT IT, PROUD OF IT, AND WITH GOOD REASON.
15:50IT MADE HIM PHENOMENALLY WEALTHY AND POWERFUL.
15:56RUPERT MADE VERY CLEAR EARLY ON THAT HE WANTED THIS HUGE MULTINATIONAL CONGLOMERATE, PUBLICLY TRADED, WILDLY SUCCESSFUL MEDIA COMPANY TO
16:08BE A FAMILY BUSINESS.
16:10WE ALWAYS TALK AS A FAMILY TOGETHER ABOUT BUSINESS.
16:14AND OF COURSE THAT TODAY IS STILL THE CASE.
16:16SO I TALK WITH MY SISTER AND MY BROTHER AND MY DAD ABOUT BUSINESS ON ALMOST A DAILY BASIS.
16:24WE'RE ALL GIVEN WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITIES.
16:27WE'VE ALSO BEEN VERY MUCH AWARE OF THE FACT THAT THERE'S PRETTY SERIOUS EXPECTATION IF YOU'RE GIVEN THAT KIND
16:34OF OPPORTUNITY THAT YOU BETTER PROVE WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
16:35AS THEY TALK ABOUT IT WITHIN THE FAMILY, HE WASN'T RAISING CHILDREN, HE WAS RAISING POSSIBLE SUCCESSORS.
16:42AND IT CREATED THIS RIVALRY AMONG THE KIDS.
16:45IT'S LIKE HE'S THROWING BLOOD INTO THE WATER AND LETTING THEM FIGHT IT OUT.
16:49I THINK MY DRIVE COMES FROM THE SAME PLACE THAT MY DAD'S DOES.
16:56THERE'S OBVIOUSLY A SENSE OF COMPETITIVE DRIVE AND THERE'S A SENSE OF REAL AMBITION.
17:04IN THE LATE 1990S, ELIZABETH GOES TO WORK FOR HER FATHER AT SKY, THE MAJOR BRITISH SATELLITE TV CONGLOMERATE.
17:14RUPERT REALLY INSTALLED VERY TOUGH PEOPLE THERE.
17:18IT WAS LIKE MACHO AND NASTY AND BELLIGERANT.
17:24WHAT I HEARD FROM PEOPLE WHO WORKED WITH LIZ IS THAT SHE'S LIKE HER DAD.
17:30SHE'S A VERY IDEAS-ORIENTED PERSON.
17:33ELIZABETH HAS A CREATIVE EYE THAT NEITHER OF HER BROTHERS REALLY POSSESS.
17:38IF WE WERE TALKING ABOUT WHAT HER BIG CONTRIBUTION TO THE COMPANY IS, IT'S THAT SHE SPOTTED, I THINK IT
17:43WAS CALLED POP IDOL IN THE UK,
17:46AND SAID TO DAD, I THINK THAT WE NEED THIS SHOW.
17:49AMERICA HAS MADE THEIR DECISION.
17:51AND THEY RENAMED IT AMERICAN IDOL.
17:54KELLY CLOGGSTON.
17:56IT WAS TRANSFORMATIVE FOR FOX.
18:00PEOPLE, THEY'RE IMPRESSED BY HER.
18:02SHE HAS SHOWN THAT SHE CAN BUILD AND RUN TV STATIONS.
18:06I THINK SHE THOUGHT THAT ONE DAY SHE MIGHT BE THE CEO OF SKY.
18:10I THINK DAD THOUGHT OTHERWISE, PERHAPS BECAUSE SHE WAS A WOMAN, IT WASN'T ENOUGH.
18:15HE TREATS HER AS DISRESPECTFULLY AND AS SEXIST A MANNER AS YOU COULD EXPECT.
18:20THAT A PERSON OF HIS GENERATION MIGHT DO.
18:23SHE'S A YOUNG MOTHER WITH TWO KIDS.
18:26AND RUPERT MAKES THE SEXIST UNDERMINING COMMENTS ABOUT HER HAVING CHILDREN.
18:31AND HOW SHE NEEDS TO FIGURE OUT WHAT SHE WANTS TO DO WITH HER LIFE.
18:35SHE FEELS SHE'S NOT BEEN GIVEN A CHANCE.
18:38AND SO SHE FAXES A RESIGNATION LETTER TO HER FATHER.
18:43IT'S A CLASSIC MURDOCK MOVE.
18:46AND HER FATHER RESPECTS THAT.
18:48I THINK HE WAS A LITTLE SURPRISED THAT I DECIDED TO LEAVE.
18:52BUT I THINK ALSO GREAT PRIDE.
18:54I THINK HE GOT IT.
18:57SHE STARTS HER OWN PRODUCTION COMPANY CALLED SHINE.
19:01SHE'S NOT GIVEN UP HER AMBITIONS, BY ANY MEN'S, TO PLAY A PART IN THE COMPANY.
19:05BUT WE'LL HAVE TO SEE HOW THINGS SETTLE DOWN IN HER OWN CAREER.
19:09THERE WERE ALWAYS RUMORS IN THE COMPANY THAT LIZ WAS THE DARK HORSE CANDIDATE TO BECOME RUPERT'S
19:18SUCCESSOR.
19:19AND SHE WAS PLAYING THE LONG GAME, THAT BY BUILDING HER OWN SUCCESSFUL COMPANY OUTSIDE OF THE
19:25MURDOCK UMBRELLA, THAT ONE DAY SHE WOULD COME BACK AND KILL HER BROTHERS.
19:33GOOD MORNING, EVERYBODY.
19:3625-YEAR-OLD LACHLAN MURDOCK IS TAKING OVER CONTROL OF HIS FATHER'S AUSTRALIAN OPERATIONS.
19:41BY THE MID TO LATE 90S, LACHLAN IS IN CHARGE OF THE WHOLE OF THE AUSTRALIAN EMPIRE.
19:47HE'S A BIT OF A ROCK STAR, BUT HE'S NOT A JOURNALIST.
19:50HE'S NOT A BUSINESSMAN.
19:52HE'S NOT GOT AN MBA.
19:53THERE SEEMS TO BE A LOT OF FOCUS ON WHO WILL BE RUPERT MURDOCK'S SUCCESSOR.
19:57DO YOU THINK THAT COULD BE YOU OF THE POUR CHILDREN?
19:59OH, I CAN'T PICK THAT FAR AHEAD.
20:02I DO THE BEST JOB I CAN AND WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
20:05I'M VERY PLEASED ABOUT HIM.
20:06THAT WILL BE A TEST.
20:08HE'S NOT INCREDIBLY HIGHLY REGARDED, BUT HE'S GOT GOOD PEOPLE AROUND HIM.
20:13AND THOSE GOOD PEOPLE KNOW THAT IF THEY WANT TO GET IN THE ORGANIZATION,
20:17THEY NEED TO HELP LACHLAN BECAUSE RUPERT IS LOOKING.
20:20THEY'RE AUSTRALIA'S GLAMOROUS GOLDEN COUPLE.
20:23LACHLAN MURDOCK, HEIR TO A MEDIA FORTUNE, AND SARAH, A SUCCESSFUL MODEL,
20:28TV PRESENTER, AND ALL-ROUND GREAT OZZIE GIRL.
20:35FIT ENOUGH TO MARRY A SUPERMODEL,
20:37LACHLAN MURDOCK STARTED HIS WEDDING DAY WITH A MORNING RUN.
20:45THE MURDOCK PLAN HAS GATHERED AT THE FAMILY'S PROPERTY NEAR YES
20:48FOR WHAT'S BEEN LABELED THE WEDDING OF THE YEAR.
20:51HE'S MARRIED TO SUPERMODEL SARAH O'HARE, AND HE STARTED A FAMILY.
20:58HE'S FABULOUSLY RICH. THEY ARE LIKE ROYALTY.
21:02HE LOVES IT THERE. HE LOVES THE LIFESTYLE.
21:06HE FEELS LIKE HE IS AT HOME.
21:10BUT IF HE'S TO BE THEM SUCCESSOR, IT'S CLEAR THAT LACHLAN HAS TO COME
21:14WHERE THE CENTER OF GRAVITY IS FOR NEWS COOPERATION, AND THAT'S IN AMERICA.
21:19GOODBYE, NETWORK 10 AUSTRALIA, AND HELLO, NEW YORK.
21:24LACHLAN AND HIS FAMILY MOVES TO NEW YORK, AND HE BECOMES AN EXECUTIVE AT NEWS COOPERATION.
21:32HE WAS CLEARLY THE FAVORITE.
21:3425 CENTS FOR THE NEW YORK POST.
21:37HE WAS LEARNING THE WAYS OF THE NEW YORK POST AND THE NEWSPAPER BUSINESS,
21:42WHICH WAS WHAT RUPERT CARED ABOUT MOST, AND HE WAS THE OLDEST SON.
21:47LACHLAN, FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, REALLY, IS THE ONE WHO'S BEING GROOMED
21:51AND THE ONE WHO'S BEING GIVEN THE EASIEST RUN.
21:54AND RUPERT IS DESCRIBING LACHLAN AS THE FIRST AMONG EQUALS.
21:59THAT DOESN'T GO DOWN TOO WELL WITH JAMES.
22:03JAMES WAS RUNNING AN INDEPENDENT HIP-HOP LABEL CALLED RAUKUS RECORDS WITH HIS FRIENDS.
22:09THEY ACTUALLY DISCOVERED SOME OF THE EMERGING HIP-HOP CALEN IN BROOKLYN.
22:14MO'S DEAF.
22:16AND THEY WORKED WITH EMINEM AT ONE POINT.
22:20I THINK JAMES WANTED TO THINK OF HIMSELF AS SOMEONE WHO WAS GOING TO CHART HIS OWN COURSE.
22:26AND HE RESISTED RUPERT'S EFFORTS TO PUT HIM TO WORK IN THE FAMILY BUSINESS.
22:32BUT THERE WAS THIS GRAVITATIONAL PULL FROM RUPERT TO GET JAMES BACK INTO HIS ORBIT.
22:41RUPERT DECIDED TO BUY RAUKUS RECORDS.
22:45I DON'T THINK RUPERT PARTICULARLY CARED FOR THE EMERGING HIP-HOP SCENE.
22:51BUT BUYING THE LABEL WAS AN EASY WAY FOR HIM TO FORCE HIS SON'S HAND AND GET HIM INTO THE
22:58COMPANY.
22:59ALSO, JAMES HAD GROWN UP BELIEVING THAT THE MURDOCH MEDIA EMPIRE WAS THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE.
23:08SO WHEN HIS DAD SAID, I WANT YOU TO COME WORK FOR ME, SON.
23:12I'M GONNA TRUST YOU WITH THIS.
23:14IT MEANT A LOT.
23:18RUPERT MANAGES TO PUT HIM IN A SUIT AND A TIE AND GET HIS HAIR CUT AND, YOU KNOW, BRING
23:22HIM INTO LINE.
23:25JAMES GOES OVER TO WORK FOR STAR TV IN ASIA.
23:31THERE WAS NO REASON TO BELIEVE THAT A GREEN 27-YEAR-OLD COULD GO TO HONG KONG
23:38AND TURN AROUND A COMPANY THAT HAD LOST, I THINK IN RECENT YEARS, A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS.
23:44BUT JAMES, I THINK, WAS EXCITED BY THE CHALLENGE, EXCITED THAT HIS DAD SEEMED TO TRUST HIM,
23:50AND EARNESTLY WENT OUT THERE BELIEVING THAT HE COULD DO BIG THINGS THERE.
23:58JAMES WAS GOING TO HAVE TO SHOW THAT HE COULD PLAY HIS FATHER'S GAME.
24:01HE NEEDED TO PROVE IT TO HIS FATHER, BUT ALSO TO THE WORLD.
24:04THAT MEANT COMPROMISING ON SOME THINGS.
24:06THERE WERE POLITICAL PROTESTS TODAY ON THE ISSUE OF HUMAN RIGHTS.
24:10JAMES IS VERY WILLING TO LOOK THE OTHER WAY WHEN IT COMES TO HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN CHINA.
24:18MURDOCK PULLED OUT OF PUBLISHING THE MEMOIRS OF CHRIS PATTON, THE FORMER GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG
24:22AND CRITIC OF THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT.
24:26THEY MADE HIM EAT SHIT.
24:28THEY MADE HIM GIVE SPEECHES ABOUT HOW YOU HAD TO RESPECT OTHER COUNTRIES' WAYS OF DOING THINGS,
24:33AND DEMOCRACY WASN'T ALWAYS THE ANSWER.
24:37THE PRESS DOESN'T NEED TO TALK DOWN TO PEOPLE.
24:39THE PRESS DOESN'T NEED TO EDUCATE.
24:41THE PRESS IS JUST A TOOL.
24:42HE WANTS TO OWN THE IDENTITY OF BEING A MURDOCK AND BEING A KIND OF RUTHLESS BUSINESSMAN.
24:49HIS EARLY ASSIGNMENTS, HE WAS REALLY EAGER TO PROVE HIMSELF TO HIS DAD
24:54AND TO BE SEEN AS A GOOD SOLDIER.
24:59SO JAMES SPEARHEADED THESE EFFORTS.
25:03AND FOR A WHILE IT LOOKS LIKE IT WILL WORK.
25:07BUT CHINA IS A GRAVEYARD FOR A LOT OF WESTERN BUSINESSES.
25:13THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY, THEY JUST PLAYED HIM ALONG.
25:17IT ALL Wound UP NOT DOING ANYTHING FOR HIM OTHER THAN WASTING TIME AND MONEY.
25:25HE IS UNSUCCESSFUL IN OPENING UP CHINA TO THE DEGREE THAT THEY HAD HOPED.
25:32BUT JAMES HAS ALWAYS HAD A PRETTY HIGH OPINION OF HIMSELF.
25:35AND I THINK HE WAS INCREDIBLY COMPETITIVE WITH LACHLAN.
25:37AND SO I DON'T THINK HE EVER GAVE UP.
25:39JAMES, WELCOME TO MARK THE TALK.
25:41THANK YOU SO MUCH, SHAKER.
25:42IT'S GREAT TO BE HERE.
25:42HE PIVOTS THE GROWTH STRATEGY TO INDIA, WHERE HE DEVELOPS A BIG NEW SLATE OF PROGRAMMING,
25:50INCLUDING AN INDIAN VERSION OF WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE, WHICH BECOMES A NATIONAL SENSATION.
25:55AND BEST OF LUCK TO YOU, NAVIL.
25:57HE ALSO SEES A LOT OF ORGANIZATIONAL MISMANAGEMENT AND CHAOS.
26:04JAMES HAD TO INSTILL A PROFESSIONAL CORPORATE CULTURE.
26:08AND HE, BY ALL ACCOUNTS, SUCCEEDED.
26:12WITHIN, I THINK, TWO YEARS OF HIS TIME, STAR TURNED A PROFIT IN ASIA.
26:17JAMES ACTUALLY REMEMBERS COMING BACK FOR A BOARD MEETING ONE DAY
26:21AND HAVING ONE OF THE DIRECTORS PULL HIM A SIGH AND SAY,
26:24I DIDN'T THINK YOU HAD IT IN YOU.
26:26CONGRATS.
26:31AT THE TIME, BOTH JAMES AND LACHLAN WERE ON THE BOARD FOR NEWSCORP.
26:35AND WHEN THEY WOULD GET IN THE ROOM AT THESE BOARD MEETINGS,
26:39IT WAS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR BOTH OF THEM TO PERFORM FOR THEIR FATHER.
26:44AND I THINK MAYBE IMPLICITLY TO COMPETE WITH EACH OTHER IN FRONT OF THEIR FATHER.
26:51JAMES WOULD COME IN CHALLENGING EVERY POINT THAT LACHLAN MADE.
26:56THEY WERE BICKERING A LOT.
26:58AND SOME PEOPLE WHO REMEMBER THOSE MOMENTS WILL SAY THAT THEY FELT BAD FOR LACHLAN
27:04AND THAT IT WAS AWKWARD FOR EVERYONE INVOLVED.
27:08BUT THE FACT THAT JAMES WAS SUCCEEDING STARTED A LOT OF SPECULATION
27:13INSIDE THE NEWSCORP HEADQUARTERS ABOUT WHETHER JAMES WOULD ACTUALLY
27:18OVERTAKE HIS OLDER BROTHER TO BECOME THE SUCCESSOR.
27:24ACHLAND, MEANWHILE, HAS BEEN LABORING IN THE CLAUSTROPHOBIC CONFINES
27:30OF THE NEW YORK NEWSCORP HEADQUARTERS WORKING AT FOX NEWS.
27:37HE'S THOUGHT OF AS QUITE LAZY BY SOME PEOPLE, AS QUITE ARROGANT BY SOME PEOPLE,
27:41AS QUITE PLEASED OF HIMSELF BY SOME PEOPLE.
27:45NOW, THAT MAY BE UNFAIR, BUT IT'S A RECURRENT STORY THAT YOU GET.
27:50BUT HIS WORDS CARRIED A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF WEIGHT,
27:53MAYBE A DISPROPORTIONATE AMOUNT OF WEIGHT, BECAUSE HE WAS THE BOSS'S SON.
27:59AND THERE WERE CERTAIN PEOPLE IN THE COMPANY, LIKE ROGER AILES,
28:04WHO REALLY RESENTED HOW MUCH RESPECT LACHLAN COMMANDED.
28:09THE IMPRESSION AT FOX AT THE TIME WAS THAT THEY WERE BABYSITTING,
28:16AND THEY DID NOT LIKE THAT.
28:19SO, LACHLAN KNEW THAT HE HAD TO PROVE HIMSELF AT A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT MOMENT FOR FOX NEWS.
28:30AN INCREDIBLE PLANE CRASH INTO THE WORLD TRADE CENTER HERE AT THE LOWER TIP OF MANHATTAN.
28:36ANOTHER PLANE JUST FLEW INTO THE SECOND TOWER.
28:419-11 AND A TERRORIST ATTACK ON THE UNITED STATES WAS A PERFECT MOMENT FOR FOX.
28:47YOU'RE EITHER WITH US AGAINST THE TERRORIST, OR YOU'RE WITH THE TERRORIST...
28:51THEY WERE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF A BROAD FEAR IN THE AMERICAN PUBLIC,
28:54AND HARNESSING IT AND RUNNING WITH IT.
28:57ROGER AILS PERSONALLY HAD AN AN ANTI-MUSLIM BIAS,
29:01AND THAT ATTITUDE SHOWED UP QUITE VIVIDLY ON AIR.
29:06PALESTINIANS DANCING IN THE STREET, HOW DID THAT MAKE YOU FEEL?
29:09THAT WAS THE DRUM THAT WE BEAT EVERY DAY, ALL DAY.
29:14IN THE DAYS AFTER 9-11, THERE WAS A PANIC ABOUT ANTHRAX BEING SENT AROUND
29:20TO VARIOUS GOVERNMENT OFFICERS AND MEDIA BUSINESSES.
29:24AS ALL AMERICANS KNOW, RECENT WEEKS HAVE BROUGHT A SECOND WAVE OF TERRORIST ATTACKS UPON OUR COUNTRY.
29:30DEADLY ANTHRAX SPORES SENT THROUGH THE U.S. MAIL.
29:33IN JUST A WEEK'S TIME, WE HAVE HAD FOUR CONFIRMED CASES OF ANTHRAX,
29:36ALL WITH MEDIA CONNECTIONS.
29:42AMERICA HAS ALWAYS STOOD FOR HUMAN FREEDOM.
29:44SO AMID THIS ENVIRONMENT WHERE EVERYONE IS ON HIGH ALERT,
29:49THE YEARLY AL SMITH DINNER HOSTS ROGER AILES.
29:54THAT ALSO HAPPENS TO BE THE NIGHT WHEN THEY LEARN THAT AN ENVELOPE FULL OF WHITE POWDER
30:00HAS BEEN SENT TO THE FOX OFFICE.
30:03The FBI comes in.
30:05They identify that it is anthrax.
30:07They close off the newsroom.
30:11Lachlan is managing it under advisement from the FBI
30:14as a kind of workplace incident.
30:18Ailes is losing his mind.
30:20He's, we're under attack, we're under attack.
30:22He's freaking out.
30:23Ailes wants to go nuclear.
30:26He's thinking this is big news.
30:28And directly against the advice of the FBI,
30:31he goes public.
30:33Fox News is under attack.
30:35Anthrax spores mailed to this building
30:38where Fox News Channel sits.
30:41Lachlan finds out about this,
30:44storms downstairs to confront Ailes directly.
30:47What are you doing?
30:49Lachlan tries to calm Ailes down,
30:52but they end up verbally fighting
30:54in front of a huge number of people in the office.
30:58This is not done to Roger Ailes.
31:01He was probably the only person inside News Corporation
31:04that even Rupert was scared of.
31:06Roger Ailes lets Rupert have it.
31:10I am not going to be lectured by your children.
31:13He's furious.
31:15And in the end,
31:17Rupert backs Roger over Lachlan.
31:21Ultimately, he'll give Ailes a brand new contract.
31:25So Rupert basically sent the message to Lachlan
31:29that you're not to cross Ailes.
31:32You're second fiddle here.
31:35Lachlan is incredibly frustrated,
31:38incredibly insulted by all of it.
31:41And also is starting to realize
31:43that even though he's supposed to be the heir apparent,
31:46that his dad has no interest in retiring anytime soon.
31:57How does having a young family again affect your views on retirement?
32:02Your own retirement, that is.
32:04Oh, it delays it forever.
32:07At this point, Rupert and his third wife,
32:10Wendy Dang Murdoch,
32:11have two daughters, Grace and Chloe.
32:15The other children were never big fans of Wendy Dang.
32:20They were skeptical of her.
32:23And James and Lachlan saw Wendy as being tough on their dad.
32:29But Wendy wanted him to keep up with her.
32:36Wendy has him under a sort of regimen.
32:40He is on a strict diet of green juice
32:44and he's not allowed to have dessert.
32:46He undergoes his makeover.
32:48He dyes his hair red.
32:50He starts wearing a leather jacket.
32:53Rupert goes from the Upper East Side,
32:55established stodginess,
32:57to downtown hip.
32:59It's like the fountain of youth for Rupert.
33:01And unlike Anna,
33:03who didn't want anything to do with the business,
33:06Wendy wanted to know
33:07what was going on in the company
33:09and was very interested in it.
33:11Wendy went everywhere with him
33:13and she's becoming also an advisor to the company.
33:17She was very ambitious
33:19and she had a lot of hopes for her two daughters.
33:23She says that she wants her own children
33:26to have the same standing as Rupert's other children.
33:30Where does that stand today, succession?
33:33Well, the two little girls are too young
33:34to consider this at the moment.
33:35Now, do you consider them, you know,
33:38you have said they're all my children.
33:39They'll get treated equally financially.
33:42He goes on Charlie Rose
33:44and that is how his own children learn
33:48that he is slicing up the trust
33:50and giving his two youngest children
33:52an equal stake in the inheritance.
33:56Each of the four elder children got paid
33:59$150 million for agreeing to include
34:02Grace and Chloe on the murder family trust.
34:05So, Rupert's six kids have an equal financial stake
34:08but only their four eldest kids have a vote.
34:12You ran into some buzzsaw within the family
34:14because of that decision?
34:15We've resolved everything very happily.
34:18In fact, it sets off a bomb with the other kids.
34:22But he doesn't apologize for this
34:25and runs roughshod over their feelings
34:28and their desires.
34:30We've seen this his entire life.
34:32When Rupert wants something,
34:35he will stop at nothing to get it.
34:39Often, the Murdoch family,
34:41they would come together for Christmas
34:43or Thanksgiving on Rupert's super yacht
34:45called Morning Glory.
34:50James had been married to his wife Catherine for a while
34:54and Catherine remembers
34:56these legendary games of family monopoly
34:59that the Murdochs would play.
35:02Once, she caught Rupert cheating
35:05and called him out on it
35:07and he just kind of smirked and shrugged.
35:11Apparently, this was a common feature
35:14of their family monopoly games.
35:16And that sort of tells you everything
35:18you need to know about him.
35:21So after the changes to the trust,
35:24the family is divided.
35:26There's a lot of tension.
35:28And especially with Rupert's favorite successor,
35:32Lachlan.
35:34I think there are a lot of things going on
35:35in Lachlan's head at that point.
35:37And he was still feuding with Roger Ailes.
35:42Ailes wants to get Fox Television
35:44to back a new series called Crime Line,
35:48hosted by Geraldo Rivera.
35:50Lachlan says it's too expensive
35:52and he blocks it.
35:55Roger goes directly to Rupert.
35:57Rupert reassures him and says,
36:00don't worry about the boy.
36:03Don't worry about the boy.
36:04Do the show.
36:05It was a classic Murdoch moment.
36:08Business over family.
36:10Lachlan was in the air
36:12on his way back to America from Australia
36:14and found out about it when he landed.
36:19He felt betrayed.
36:22Rupert had backed Roger over him again.
36:28Lachlan had tried to be the good son
36:31and the loyal deputy.
36:33But every time he tried to make a decision
36:36that one of the other executives didn't like,
36:39they would just go over his head to Rupert.
36:41And Rupert would often overrule Lachlan.
36:43So I think for Lachlan,
36:46the proximity to his dad
36:48ended up being bad for his place
36:52in the succession race.
36:53There was some surprise news
36:55out of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp overnight
36:57with his eldest son Lachlan quitting his job
36:59as an executive.
37:00Lachlan Murdoch will remain
37:02on the News Corp board
37:03but plans to return home to Australia
37:05and pursue an independent career.
37:08So now Liz and Prudence
37:11were out of the running to be heir apparent
37:13and after Lachlan resigns in a huff,
37:17moves back to Australia,
37:20James is the only viable successor left.
37:27James Murdoch has been given a much larger role
37:30overseeing all of News Corp's
37:31European and Asian operations.
37:3330-year-old James Murdoch
37:35was appointed the new CEO of Sky two weeks ago.
37:38Everyone wants to see the value of the company grow
37:40and that's what we're going to work to do.
37:42James' promotion was pretty controversial.
37:46There were howls of nepotism and outrage
37:49that Rupert's relatively young son
37:51was going to be entrusted
37:53with this crown jewel of British broadcasting.
37:58On top of the fact
37:59that this was the job
38:01that Liz had been after.
38:05I'll tell you that James,
38:06I met with him in London,
38:08he was so arrogant.
38:10Master of the universe kind of vibe.
38:13At this point,
38:15even though he hasn't gone to business school,
38:17he starts talking
38:18like he went to business school.
38:20The abolition of media boundaries
38:21is a trumpet call to expansion,
38:24to do more.
38:28James starts to affect a public persona
38:32that a lot of people around him
38:34suspected was modeled after Rupert.
38:36He encourages all of his employees
38:39to call themselves pirates.
38:40So in his London office,
38:42he has a life-sized statue of Darth Vader
38:47and talks about them running the Death Star.
38:51He is a good ambassador for his father
38:53and he's also making the case
38:55that I can be the brash disruptor.
38:57I can be the bold new force,
39:00just as you once were.
39:03The irony is that
39:05the more he seemed to act like Rupert,
39:08the more Rupert felt alienated by James.
39:15James begins to cultivate his own inner circle.
39:19He starts dining with prime ministers
39:21and cozying up to the liberal,
39:23respectable establishment.
39:25He wanted to modernize
39:27and run this company
39:29by what he considered to be
39:31the best practices and standards.
39:34So he was going to fire
39:37the more toxic executives and employees
39:39and emphasize human resources
39:42and start to listen to the lawyers more.
39:45All of this really rubbed Rupert the wrong way.
39:49He was really suspicious of James
39:52trying to cozy up to the establishment.
39:55It kind of makes Rupert regret
39:58that he doesn't have Lachlan around.
40:03After being forced out by Roger Ailes,
40:06Lachlan is in Australia
40:08with his tail between his legs.
40:11He was still on the News Corporation board.
40:14The profit motive is not only fundamental
40:16to our ability to...
40:17But he was doing his own thing,
40:18looking to make big investments for the company.
40:21He was kind of humiliated,
40:23but he still wants to emulate his father.
40:26The question is,
40:27how good a businessman is Lachlan?
40:30One of the things that's powering newspapers
40:31at the time is classified ads,
40:34but it's quite clear
40:35that the newspapers are fading
40:36and the Internet's going to take all the advertising revenue
40:39and real estate ads in particular.
40:43So Lachlan says we need to get a share of that.
40:47And so when realestate.com comes along,
40:50he buys it.
40:58The decision to invest in realestate.com.au makes the family billions of dollars,
41:04and it becomes the most valuable property in the News Corp business in Australia.
41:09I think they only paid $10 million.
41:12It's now worth more than a billion.
41:14By taking himself out of the running
41:16and moving back to Australia
41:17to set up his own shop
41:18and start building his own little media empire,
41:23Lachlan becomes more desirable
41:25to his father as a successor.
41:28I think that his dad kind of wants what he can't have.
41:32Mr. Murdoch, the market's wondering about your succession.
41:35You said this week that virtually you'll die in the saddle,
41:38but you obviously have to think of it.
41:40It would be very nice.
41:41It's every father's natural desire
41:44to see, I think, his children follow him if they're up to it.
41:47And we'll have to see how they work it out.
41:50I hope not fight it out,
41:51but I hope to be around for a few more years.
41:57Rupert is not a person who likes to talk about his death.
42:02But now he's 94 years old,
42:05and he's clearly preparing for one day
42:08when he eventually passes.
42:11At this point, Liz, James, and Prue
42:14share concerns about the direction of the company.
42:18Good morning, Mr. Murdoch.
42:20Rupert sees Fox as his legacy,
42:23and he's convinced that Lachlan is the only one
42:27that will carry on what he built.
42:29At the same time, Lachlan's looking over his shoulder,
42:32worried that after his father dies,
42:35there could be a coup and he could be pushed aside.
42:39So Rupert and Lachlan start looking into the Murdoch family trust.
42:43If Rupert doesn't get the trust built around Lachlan,
42:47it's over.
42:48They want to figure out,
42:51is there a way to poke a hole in this trust?
42:54And what they find is there actually is a way,
42:57as long as it was solely for the benefit of all of the heirs.
43:02The simplest way to understand it is
43:04the trust had eight votes,
43:08four controlled by Rupert,
43:10one controlled by each child.
43:11So Rupert could never be outvoted,
43:13but no child could be in control when Rupert died.
43:17So Rupert and Lachlan want to create
43:20two new entities that will control the trust.
43:24And those entities will be able to override
43:27the one that exists currently.
43:29They're keeping it secret from all the other children.
43:33And they are going to do it under a crazy codename,
43:37Project Family Harmony.
43:39You have named your plan to take the voting rights
43:43of three children away from them,
43:45Project Family Harmony.
43:47I mean, just mind-blowing.
43:52There was a period of a few weeks,
43:55and then James got an invitation to join a Zoom call
44:00for a special meeting on the family trust.
44:04He did not know what this meeting would be about.
44:07He had no reason to believe there was any need
44:10to meet about the family trust.
44:13James was completely blindsided by this.
44:17Then his managing director received an agenda.
44:22He called James and said,
44:25you need to look at this.
44:27Your dad is making a move for the entire empire.
44:31About a week after that,
44:33the Murdoch family get on the Zoom.
44:38There's a lot of tension in the room.
44:40You have James and his two sisters,
44:43Prudence and Liz,
44:44and his older brother, Lachlan.
44:47And you have Rupert
44:50surrounded by a hundred lawyers.
44:53He starts just kind of robotically reading
44:56from this script.
44:57He tells them,
44:58I'm going to change the family trust.
45:00You'll still have your shares,
45:02but you'll have no voting power.
45:04You'll have no ability to make decisions.
45:11It's just going to be Lachlan who has control.
45:15So the meeting does not go particularly well.
45:17There's shouting.
45:19There's yelling.
45:20It became very emotional.
45:22James can't believe his father is saying this.
45:25That he was willing to do something so provocative
45:29and so harmful.
45:31This is what had become of his family.
45:35Rupert says,
45:36you would come in,
45:37you would change this company,
45:39you would take it to the left,
45:41that's the golden goose you're playing with.
45:43You need to go along with this.
45:45It's good for all of you in spite of yourselves.
45:48What's notable is that Lachlan is silent,
45:51when of course he had helped architect the whole thing.
45:55Liz can't contain herself.
45:57She says,
45:58how are you going to get consensus
45:59with a gun to our heads?
46:01It was brutal.
46:04It's total war.
46:34It's total war.
46:35It's total war.
46:35It's total war.
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