The end of an era took place as Fox News threw a going away party for outgoing Executive Chairman Rupert Murdoch at the annual meeting of the news media company.
He’s been in power for so many decades that it was hard for many to believe he’s moving on and handing the reins to his son Lachlan Murdoch.
“In his final day as executive chairman of Fox Corp., Murdoch spent the morning in Los Angeles on the Fox Studio Lot in Century City, where he attended Fox’s annual shareholder meeting in the lot’s Zanuck Theatre,” The Hollywood Reporter noted.
“But unlike News Corp.’s annual meeting earlier in the week, where Murdoch held forth and delivered the opening remarks, for the Fox annual meeting he was merely in attendance, letting his chosen son Lachlan Murdoch lead the proceedings, joined by board members like Chase Carey, former House Speaker Paul Ryan, and former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott,” the outlet added.
(Video Credit: Sky News Australia)
The send-off was replete with a sizzle reel that covered Murdoch’s 70-year career. It highlighted his acquisition of 20th Century Fox and the launch of the Fox broadcast network. It also covered his deal with the NFL and the creation of Fox News.
“I’d like to be remembered, if I am at all, as someone who was a catalyst for change, and the good,” Murdoch stated in a recorded interview that capped the sizzle reel.
At that juncture, Lachlan Murdoch stepped up to thank his father on his behalf and that of Fox:
Dad, on behalf of the Fox board of directors, the leadership team, and all the shareholders who have benefited from your hard work: We thank you for your vision, your insatiable curiosity, and the enduring legacy you leave to the companies you founded and the countless lives you have impacted. We are grateful that you will continue to serve as chairman emeritus, and I look forward to your continued counsel and contribution for years to come.
Murdoch’s successor proceeded to tout the ratings growth of the network, including a strong NFL season and Tubi’s growth. He also praised the work of Fox’s “courageous staff” in war zones.
“Our teams in the Middle East have been working around the clock in the most challenging and heart-wrenching of circumstances to provide our viewers with the latest news, as well as deep analysis and essential commentary on this conflict,” Murdoch told those assembled. “In addition to the war, we have also sadly witnessed a surge of anti-semitism both abroad and at home in our own communities. It is important that we all stand up, that we expose and address all forms of anti-semitism.”
“Only two shareholders asked questions, one about whether the company’s executive compensation plan accounts for lawsuits like those from Dominion and Smartmatic (Fox board member Chase Carey says that the ‘qualitative’ and ‘quantitative’ factors involved do take performance into account); and another who asked if Fox plans on bringing Tubi to more international markets (Murdoch says they will, but will be ‘disciplined’ in doing so),” The Hollywood Reporter recounted.
The gathering lasted 30 minutes. With a bang of the gavel from Lachlan Murdoch, his father’s storied legacy leading the network came to an end.
The meeting took place on Friday. On Monday, Lachlan Murdoch visited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv according to a statement. Politico reported that Murdoch was accompanied by Fox News journalist Ben Hall and The Sun journalist Jerome Starkey.
‼️ “The war in Ukraine is not a movie… It won’t end quickly.”
The President of Ukraine met with the CEO of Fox Corporation, Lachlan Murdoch, along with journalists from Fox News and The Sun.“People somehow treat it as if it were a movie, expecting that there won’t be long… pic.twitter.com/AaCYe0WEMH
— Maria Drutska (@maria_drutska) November 20, 2023
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