Comments on: Murdoch blames the BBC for his incapacity to make money out of news… http://sluggerotoole.com/2009/08/31/peston-and-murdoch-with-competing-visions-of-a-new-journalism/ Conversation, politics and stray insights Mon, 13 Feb 2012 08:46:52 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: willis http://sluggerotoole.com/2009/08/31/peston-and-murdoch-with-competing-visions-of-a-new-journalism/comment-page-1/#comment-342715 willis Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:27:17 +0000 #comment-342715 Watching Murdoch Jr is so like watching Paisley jr. Big Ian and Rupe were largely self-made fundamentalists with a sense of humour often directed at themselves. They could laugh at themselves, they knew what they wee worth. Maybe this Murdoch quote is apocryphal: "I was against monopolies until I got one " Murdoch Jr "On the contrary, independence is characterised by the absence of the apparatus of supervision and dependency." The Murdochs attack powerful competitors politically, they crush weak competitors economically. The UK can be thankful that the BBC is still a powerful competitor. Watching Murdoch Jr is so like watching Paisley jr. Big Ian and Rupe were largely self-made fundamentalists with a sense of humour often directed at themselves. They could laugh at themselves, they knew what they wee worth.

Maybe this Murdoch quote is apocryphal:

“I was against monopolies until I got one ”

Murdoch Jr

“On the contrary, independence is characterised by the absence of the apparatus of supervision and dependency.”

The Murdochs attack powerful competitors politically, they crush weak competitors economically.

The UK can be thankful that the BBC is still a powerful competitor.

]]> By: Paul Evans http://sluggerotoole.com/2009/08/31/peston-and-murdoch-with-competing-visions-of-a-new-journalism/comment-page-1/#comment-342498 Paul Evans Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:15:54 +0000 #comment-342498 Murdoch Jr knows what his dad taught him: You don't make money in the media by beating your competitors. You make it by beating regulators. The reason we're all discussing this speech is not that it had any original or interesting content in itself. It's because it came from someone that politicians are frightened of. Murdoch has used this power consistently to coerce governments. For many years, the British government demanded and then used discretionary loopholes to let BSkyB off the obligations of the EU's TV Without Frontier Directive. For this reason, BSkyB has a near-monopoly in the UK Pay TV market AND they invest almost nothing in the production of content - preferring to suck in US imports instead. Murdoch Jr knows what his dad taught him: You don’t make money in the media by beating your competitors. You make it by beating regulators. The reason we’re all discussing this speech is not that it had any original or interesting content in itself. It’s because it came from someone that politicians are frightened of.

Murdoch has used this power consistently to coerce governments. For many years, the British government demanded and then used discretionary loopholes to let BSkyB off the obligations of the EU’s TV Without Frontier Directive. For this reason, BSkyB has a near-monopoly in the UK Pay TV market AND they invest almost nothing in the production of content – preferring to suck in US imports instead.

]]> By: willis http://sluggerotoole.com/2009/08/31/peston-and-murdoch-with-competing-visions-of-a-new-journalism/comment-page-1/#comment-342321 willis Tue, 01 Sep 2009 03:21:37 +0000 #comment-342321 "There is a debate here about two kinds of fairness. There is the fairness of ensuring a level playing field for players in a commercial market. And there is the fairness of the distribution of information and knowledge to all who need it, irrespective of their material circumstances. These are two different kinds of fairness." Simple and profound. And all the better coming from someone who was recently with the Torygraph. "Independence is sustained by true accountability – the accountability owed to customers. People who buy the newspapers, open the application, decide to take out the television subscription – people who deliberately and willingly choose a service which they value. And people value honest, fearless, and above all independent news coverage that challenges the consensus." And how does that square with the accountability due to the victims of debauched journalism? “There is a debate here about two kinds of fairness. There is the fairness of ensuring a level playing field for players in a commercial market. And there is the fairness of the distribution of information and knowledge to all who need it, irrespective of their material circumstances. These are two different kinds of fairness.”

Simple and profound. And all the better coming from someone who was recently with the Torygraph.

“Independence is sustained by true accountability – the accountability owed to customers. People who buy the newspapers, open the application, decide to take out the television subscription – people who deliberately and willingly choose a service which they value. And people value honest, fearless, and above all independent news coverage that challenges the consensus.”

And how does that square with the accountability due to the victims of debauched journalism?

]]> By: DerTer http://sluggerotoole.com/2009/08/31/peston-and-murdoch-with-competing-visions-of-a-new-journalism/comment-page-1/#comment-342300 DerTer Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:44:45 +0000 #comment-342300 Much food for thought here. But any Murdoch claim to be producing impartial news is blown out of the water by the performance of News International's Fox News. If you really want TV to shout at, Fox News is available for an additional £1 as a component of Sky's 'News and Events' pack; it is, sad to say, highly popular with viewers in the US, and is currently engaged in a vicious crusade against Obama's attempt at health care reform. Incidentally, I think Robert Peston may be wrong - or at any rate slightly misleading - about "government by discussion". Bagehot did use the expression, but it was English political philosopher A D Lindsay who incorporated this notion into his careful defence of what we would now call liberal democracy - of which press freedom and a plurality of news sources was/is a central part. Much food for thought here. But any Murdoch claim to be producing impartial news is blown out of the water by the performance of News International’s Fox News. If you really want TV to shout at, Fox News is available for an additional £1 as a component of Sky’s ‘News and Events’ pack; it is, sad to say, highly popular with viewers in the US, and is currently engaged in a vicious crusade against Obama’s attempt at health care reform.
Incidentally, I think Robert Peston may be wrong – or at any rate slightly misleading – about “government by discussion”. Bagehot did use the expression, but it was English political philosopher A D Lindsay who incorporated this notion into his careful defence of what we would now call liberal democracy – of which press freedom and a plurality of news sources was/is a central part.

]]> By: Coll Ciotach http://sluggerotoole.com/2009/08/31/peston-and-murdoch-with-competing-visions-of-a-new-journalism/comment-page-1/#comment-342268 Coll Ciotach Mon, 31 Aug 2009 19:44:14 +0000 #comment-342268 If he really is interested in competition then let us break up his empire and allow more competition ala the now failed Setanta to rise or fall. I think a touch of hypocracy is eveident here If he really is interested in competition then let us break up his empire and allow more competition ala the now failed Setanta to rise or fall.

I think a touch of hypocracy is eveident here

]]> By: Itwas SammyMcNally whatdoneit http://sluggerotoole.com/2009/08/31/peston-and-murdoch-with-competing-visions-of-a-new-journalism/comment-page-1/#comment-342261 Itwas SammyMcNally whatdoneit Mon, 31 Aug 2009 19:05:08 +0000 #comment-342261 It has been clear for some time that the BBC cannot compete on all fronts as it is currently trying to do. The BBC is better, fairer, more trusted and better value than the alternatives but unfortunately its days as the national broadcaster may be numbered as that failure to compete is gradually undermining the support it receives to maintain its revenue source in the shape of the license fee. Having demonstrated by decades of excellence just how the job should be done we must be fast approaching the time where the state's role in the media is exercised via a broadcast overseer who ensures that in return for meeting specific quality targets brodcasters get the right to show their wares on TV/Internet etc. It has been clear for some time that the BBC cannot compete on all fronts as it is currently trying to do. The BBC is better, fairer, more trusted and better value than the alternatives but unfortunately its days as the national broadcaster may be numbered as that failure to compete is gradually undermining the support it receives to maintain its revenue source in the shape of the license fee.

Having demonstrated by decades of excellence just how the job should be done we must be fast approaching the time where the state’s role in the media is exercised via a broadcast overseer who ensures that in return for meeting specific quality targets brodcasters get the right to show their wares on TV/Internet etc.

]]> By: The Spectator http://sluggerotoole.com/2009/08/31/peston-and-murdoch-with-competing-visions-of-a-new-journalism/comment-page-1/#comment-342240 The Spectator Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:10:25 +0000 #comment-342240 I have followed Murdoch Jr's story with something approaching dread. The idea that the government should withdraw a superior product (and let us be clear, BBC News and Current Affairs, flaws and all, is light years ahead of Sky both on and off line) in order to placate the desire of one operator to make money from people already receiving the service free at point is simply grotesque. We are always told how efficient and competent the market is, and how the market always does things better; when the market can't match the supposedly inefficient incompetent state provision, it pleads poverty. Hypocrisy much? Here's the rub - it's not in the public interest to make any Murdoch richer. If he can do that by himself, fine, good luck to him; if he needs to interfere with a treasured and excellent puiblic service because he can't sin us for enough pennies, he can f*** off. In the final analysis, remember always; the market is supposed to serve the consumer - Murdoch seems to think it is the job of the consumer to serve the market. I have followed Murdoch Jr’s story with something approaching dread. The idea that the government should withdraw a superior product (and let us be clear, BBC News and Current Affairs, flaws and all, is light years ahead of Sky both on and off line) in order to placate the desire of one operator to make money from people already receiving the service free at point is simply grotesque.

We are always told how efficient and competent the market is, and how the market always does things better; when the market can’t match the supposedly inefficient incompetent state provision, it pleads poverty. Hypocrisy much?

Here’s the rub – it’s not in the public interest to make any Murdoch richer. If he can do that by himself, fine, good luck to him; if he needs to interfere with a treasured and excellent puiblic service because he can’t sin us for enough pennies, he can f*** off.

In the final analysis, remember always; the market is supposed to serve the consumer – Murdoch seems to think it is the job of the consumer to serve the market.

]]> By: Mickhall http://sluggerotoole.com/2009/08/31/peston-and-murdoch-with-competing-visions-of-a-new-journalism/comment-page-1/#comment-342221 Mickhall Mon, 31 Aug 2009 17:16:33 +0000 #comment-342221 Some good letters in the Guardian today on this. http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2009/aug/31/james-murdoch-bbc-regulation It seems to me if business is unable to come up with successful model which allows them to make money whilst the content of the web is free, then tough, they need to look elsewhere for profits. Funny how these new liberal businessmen like young Murdoch claim national boundaries are extinct; and big government is bad, yet when it suits them they are first at the governments door demanding the very same governments recreate in their interest the playing field. Talk about getting others to do there heavy lifting. Some good letters in the Guardian today on this.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2009/aug/31/james-murdoch-bbc-regulation

It seems to me if business is unable to come up with successful model which allows them to make money whilst the content of the web is free, then tough, they need to look elsewhere for profits.

Funny how these new liberal businessmen like young Murdoch claim national boundaries are extinct; and big government is bad, yet when it suits them they are first at the governments door demanding the very same governments recreate in their interest the playing field.

Talk about getting others to do there heavy lifting.

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