A court room in the US State of Nevada provided the setting for the recent hearing between media mogul Rupert Murdoch and his children, over who will inherit his empire on the 93 year old’s death. The succession battle, worthy of the TV drama Succession, which was partly inspired by the Murdoch dynasty, was played out behind closed doors and it’s unlikely that the decision, when it comes, will be made available to the public. Murdoch’s News Corp owns hundreds of newspapers and media outlets around the world. It includes the right-leaning Fox News in the US, which gave Donald Trump a major platform in the run-up to the 2016 Presidential election, as well as widely read newspapers like the Sun in the UK. Speculation over who is most likely to take control of the multi-billion dollar business currently centres around the eldest son Lachlan Murdoch, the sibling most closely aligned to his father in terms of their vision for the future. But at this point the outcome all depends on whether legally such a takeover can happen. So, on this week’s Inquiry, we’re asking ‘What’s the succession plan for Murdoch’s empire?’ Contributors: Walter Marsh, Journalist and Author of Young Rupert: The Making of the Murdoch Empire, South Australia David Folkenflik, Media Correspondent NPR News, Author of Murdoch’s World: The Last of the Old Media Empires, USA Reid Weisbord, Distinguished Professor of Law, Rutgers Law School, Visiting Professor, Columbia University, USA Alice Enders, Chief Economist, Enders Analysis, UK Presenter: Tanya Beckett Producers: Louise Clarke and Jill Collins Researcher: Matt Toulson Editor: Tara McDermott Technical Producer: Nicky Edwards Broadcast Co-ordinator: Jacqui Johnson (Image: Reuters/Mike Segar)
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Welcome to the Inquiry with me, Tanya Beckett.
One question, four expert witnesses and an answer.
Fox patriarch Rupert Murdoch is in the middle of a fierce court battle with three of his eldest four children, James, Prudence and Elizabeth.
On Monday, they, along with the 93 year old Murdoch, were seen arriving separately at a probate court in Reno for the closed door case.
For several days in September, members of the Murdoch dynasty descended on a secretive court in the U.S.
state of Nevada to hammer out which of Rupert Murdoch' oldest four siblings should get to control the assets of the multi billion dollar trust he set up a quarter of a century ago.
Akin to an episode of the blockbuster TV series Succession, there was rivalry, intrigue, power.
Oh, and lots and lots of money at stake.
Over seven decades, the man at the center of it all, media magnate Rupert Murdoch, has built an empire which includes hundreds of newspapers and TV outlets around the world, counting among them the Wall Street Journal and the Times of London.
But now the man who has wielded huge influence over many a national leader is 93 years old and wants to secure his legacy.
This week on the inquiry, we're asking what's the succession plan for Murdoch's Empire?
Part 1 Birth of an Empire the roots of the Murdoch family business date back to the first half of last century and in particular, Rupert Murdoch's father, Keith.
Keith became a well known newspaper editor in Australia and eventually created a small newspaper business as a legacy for his son Rupert to take on after his death.
Our first expert witness is Walter Marsh, a journalist based in Adelaide, South Australia, and author of Young Rupert the Making of the Murdoch Empire.
Rupert's father spent the last few years of his life trying to leverage what he did own, what control he did have to build up a little media organization for Rupert to inherit.
And when he died in 1952, Rupert took over News Ltd.