Readers: Rupert’s still got the power

Patriarch Rupert with sons Lachlan (left) and James (right).

Media buyers and planners can be a cynical group, and little wonder why. They’ve seen their share of salespeople who make sky-high promises and deliver knee-high results.

So little wonder then that they see the recent success plan announced by 21^st Century Fox as little more than a sales pitch by Rupert Murdoch for a shiny new management structure led by his two sons that in fact will never come to be, certainly not anytime soon.

Media people don’t expect James and Lachlan to actually take control of the company. They believe their 84-year-old father will remain firmly in charge.

That’s according to a recent survey of Media Life readers inviting them to weigh in on the transition plan announced earlier this week by the broadcasting and movie company.

James, age 42, will succeed Rupert as chief executive officer. Lachlan, 43, will become executive co-chairman, serving in that role with his father.

Those are big titles for sure, but the elder Murdoch has long been known as a control freak, and many have trouble believing he will actually step back from the business.

The question Media Life asked readers: “Do you think the 84-year-old Rupert will actually give them any power in the company, or is this just for show, to calm those worried about his age?”

The overwhelming majority, 83 percent, said the move was just for show.

Just 17 percent said the move is legit.

Of course, many media people have concerns about James and Lachlan taking over. Questions were raised about James’ leadership during News Corp.’s British tabloid hacking scandal, which happened on his watch.

And Lachlan only last year returned to his father’s empire after a decade doing his own thing in Australia.

Asked if this is a smart succession plan, most readers, 66 percent, said no, while 34 percent said yes.

“The Murdoch boys are ill-equipped to take over a worldwide enterprise,” opined one reader.

“They need fresh upstanding new blood,” wrote another.

Most readers, 68 percent, say the transition will not impact them at all in their jobs as media buyers or planners.

“Unless there is a mind change, then down the pipe media buyers like us will not feel any changes,” wrote one.

But some do hope there will be changes at 21^st Century Fox, which owns the Fox broadcast network, a slew of cable networks including Fox News Channel and FX, and the movie and TV studios.

“21st Century Fox is still seen as an old school Hollywood studio. It needs to move with the times, be more flexible in deals, embrace more distribution avenues,” wrote one reader.

Tags: 21st century fox, fox, media life surveys, murdoch, murdoch success, rupert, succession murdoch, surveys