WHY I ADMIRE RUPERT MURDOCH, NEWS CORP. AND THE FOX NEWS CHANNEL

I have known Rupert Murdoch for almost 40 years, but it was about 20 years ago that I spent a couple of hours with him in his office at the New York Post. He was interested in knowing what I thought about the value of feature films in the world market. I recall that he paid absolute attention to what I had to say, and he seemed to inhale all of the relevant details I presented him with.

I have not seen him since, but in the intervening years, he has single-handedly turned News Corp. into the proverbial 1600-pound media gorilla.

In the sixties and seventies, I worked for Columbia Pictures, which managed to get itself bought, first by The Coca-Cola Company, and then in recent years, by Sony.

Universal has changed hands several times as well, and is now owned by NBC/General Electric.

Paramount, itself has been morphed into Viacom, a company cobbled together primarily by acquisitions.

Warner Brothers, and Time Life fell in love, married, and then was seduced by the overvalued AOL.

Disney has expanded as well through acquisitions

And of course, there is MGM/UA. What needs be said about them?

But look what Rupert did. In a genius move, he purchased the Metromedia Televisions Stations, and formed the Fox Network. One of the keenest media minds I know (me) -- along with so many others -- laughed secretly about this. I gave it no chance at all to succeed. Boy, was I wrong.

Rupert ventured where no other studio dared. Imagine long established American companies losing out to Aussie (whoops, American) Murdoch. The other Studios could have done what Murdoch has done, and didn't.

Among the many other things started by News Corp. is the Fox News Channel, the scourge of liberal media watchers, and of course, the Democratic establishment. Many media friends and associates, as well as MoveOn.org and Alternet are going ballistic -- raising the issue of FNC not being "Fair and Balanced." (Whatever that means). I suggest that all my liberal friends and associates spend some time reading the First Amendment of our Constitution. You don't have to like or approve of what they are saying.

Murdoch has every right to do what he does on FNC. Everyone else has the right to start their own News Network and take whatever editorial position they choose.

Our Government must never become the arbiter of good journalism. I don't like the way that FNC reports, and I expect that I will have to learn to live with that. As a 72-year-old media person, I fear the government (Democratic or Republican) far more then I fear Rupert Murdoch.

I do wish however that our country realized the dangers of media consolidation that we live with. Media conglomerates are indebted to the Government, and behave that way.

Now that is not "Fair and Balanced"

Norman Horowitz

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