News Corps Proposed take over of BSKYB

[albertcadwell]

Ofcom regards evidence that the News of the World's newsroom was out of control for many years as relevant to a judgement on whether News Corporation would be a fit-and-proper owner of BSkyB,

Lets hope this does for their bid, everything has gone very quiet, seems that David Cameron is planning to use the the Police investigation to contain the NOTW fall out, draw a line under the event , then hand BSKYB to Murdoch. Meanwhile Chris Patten is going to fight hard for the BBC like he did for Hong Kong!!!, but ultimately that 1.5billion a year is going to be broken up bit by bit, James and Rupert are going to enjoy a nice slice of that big 'ole' creamy cake.

Love the shot of Milliband standing against a backdrop of reuters, all we need is Nick Clegg giveing his view against a giant backdrop of HEAT magazine .....actually thats exactly what we need...you go Nick.

[willypickles]

I think it has been posted here before , but here is a fresh one. It's the final push to pressure Ofcom , the government are looking for a way out and ofcom is it, NewCorp is threatening to sue. The BBC has also been warned by NewsCorp and are being frightened into just reporting the statments that NewsCorp give them.

"Rupert Murdoch arrives in the UK to take control of the situation" that was yesterday's NewsCorp spin, and everyone was made aware that the news headlines and copy was being watched. Nobody deviated from that line.

Ofcom can act, they may get sued but the governemt knows it is ringfenced and the legal fire, if it starts, can not jump. Send the petion count up even further and make them take note, they have been given the green light by the government, the coalition is holding.

The petition text:

Dear David Cameron and Jeremy Hunt,

We're standing up for higher media standards, and respect for the rule of law.

We demand a stop to the BSkyB takeover, and a full public inquiry into the Murdoch empire's phone hacking activities.

We can't trust Murdoch's ?promises? about respecting UK democracy and media plurality if he takes over BSkyB, while his newspapers stand accused of immoral and criminal activities.

These allegations prove we need a full inquiry into phone hacking and whether Murdoch is a fit and proper media owner - not another Murdoch media power grab.

http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/murdoch-deal-petition

Take 5mins and just do it if you have not already done so.

[willypickles]

Amazing eh....when politicians work together because of the sheer weight of public togetherness, looks like good news story for everyone. In the end Murdoch may well have been done by the very force that he has blackmailed successive governments with, the so called masses channelled through the SUN. This time however all the petitions were being held by OFCOM.

NewsCorp panicked and tried to swerve ofcom who they had no leverage over, loose cannons in newsCorps eyes. Ofcom were going to veto it because of 300000+ public petitions.

Lets hope they really get taken out over the other side of the pond, FOX news is in the cross hairs.

(Reuters) - The government will vote in favour of a Labour opposition parliamentary motion calling on News Corp to withdraw its bid for pay TV operator BSkyB, a spokesman for Prime Minister David Cameron said Tuesday.

"The prime minister will support it and the government will support it," the spokesman told reporters.

The Liberal Democrats, the junior partners in the coalition government, will also vote in favour of the motion, according to a party source.

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who is overseeing the decision on the takeover bid in a quasi-judicial role, will abstain from the vote Wednesday.

The vote is non-binding but cross-party support for the motion would send a strong signal to News Corp boss Rupert Murdoch that he would be acting against the will of parliament if the bid was not withdrawn.

Shares in BSkyB fell on the news, to be down 3.3 percent after earlier trading down about 1 percent.

[featheroffreedom]

Dear East Dulwich Forum

Yes! Together we've done it - Rupert Murdoch just abandoned his bid to takeover BSkyB.

This is a huge turnaround. Only a few days ago David Cameron claimed it was impossible to stop the BSkyB deal.

Then, nearly 100,000 of us emailed our MPs demanding the government act. Suddenly, late yesterday, MPs of all parties united to tell Murdoch to call the deal off. And this afternoon, Rupert Murdoch finally caved in. People power worked!

This is a huge breakthrough, and a huge moment for people power in the UK. We're powerful because we work together - so let's decide together what we do next. Should we do more work to clean up politics and the media? Should we work together to protect the NHS or the environment? Or something else?

Have your say - take two minutes to set the future direction of 38 Degrees here:

https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/murdoch-poll

People power has finally pushed politicians to stop bowing and scraping to media barons. But Murdoch is a crafty and determined operator. He'll probably be planning his next move ? we need to plan ours as well!

Is there more we could do to make sure the collapse of the BSkyB bid is a real turning point? What else could we do to secure higher media standards? How can we make sure that politicians never again put media barons before us, their voters? Or is it time to move our focus back to other issues?

Take two minutes to complete a quick online poll about what we do next:

https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/murdoch-poll

This scandal has shown that there's a lot rotten in British politics. But it's also given us reasons to hope. Brave journalists exposed this story, showing the value of a decent independent media. [4] The few politicians who dared to speak out have been vindicated. The British public proved we won?t stand for media barons defying our laws and our democracy.

38 Degrees members have been working together to try to block the BSkyB deal since it was first announced in 2010. We've signed petitions, raised money for adverts, organised stunts, and emailed, phoned and visited our MPs. We've teamed up with other groups including global people power group Avaaz. Today, we can all celebrate together - it worked!

Communities like 38 Degrees have a positive role to play at moments like this. We are independent of media barons and compromised politicians. We don't take their money - we're funded by small donations from thousands of UK citizens. We don't do what they tell us to do ? we take decisions about our campaigns by 38 Degrees members discussing and voting together.

This is a time for people power. So what could 38 Degrees do to help next? Please take a couple of minutes to say what you think by completing this online poll:

https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/murdoch-poll

Thanks for getting involved,

David, Marie, Cian, Becky, Johnny, Hannah and the 38 Degrees team

[Loz]

That site has an interesting MO - almost like a tabloid newspaper, ironically. Start a campaign and then, even though your involvement is not at all pivotal (or even noticeable in this case), claim your 'victory'.

Murdoch capitulated in the face of a pretty rare united front from the public. The Guardian and Nick Davies, the Hacked Off campaign, Tom Watson MP and Hugh Grant can all take a bow. I'm really not sure 38 Degrees had a whole lot to do with it.

(Incidentally, 38 degrees is not the 'tipping point' of an avalanche either. You should pop along to one of Henry's Avalanche Talks. I'm not sure you could actually have a tipping point, as such, for an avalanche. The angle of a mountain isn't known for changing very rapidly.)

[popovtheghoster]

Well i think the point loz is that it is the sum of the parts, you should be proud that your forum took an active part.

38 degrees facilitated a lot of traffic to OFCOM, the powers that be knew how many responses were coming in. The unions linked all their members to it as well. BSKYB swerved OFCOM because it was worried OFCOM would act on the petitions and bury them. Once they swerved they were left with the competition commission so then the 3parties stepped in and called the parliment vote, this would have absolutely screwed NewsCorp and crashed their share price. So Checkmate.

All the main parties, with public support, jobs a good un.

All hail the tickly featheroffreedom.

[Loz]

It still sounds like you are claiming "It's The 38 Degrees Wot Won It". Well at least that's what your website is claiming, anyway.

[Chippy Minton]

Agreed Loz. 38 Degrees undoubtedly support some really worthy issues and given they are run literally by a handful of people are a great organisation, but I sometimes think they join the party late! The save the forests campaign is a good example of this.

The NOTW campaign was everywhere - all sides united. This fun graphic shows how over half a million tweets with the hashtag #notw were sent over a four day period on Twitter alone http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/interactive/2011/jul/13/news-of-the-world-phone-hacking-twitter?INTCMP=SRCH

It defiantly wasn't just 38 Degrees Wot Won It!

[david_carnell]

So, EDF-ers, what do we make of allegations of collusion by Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt with BSkyB/NewsInt to ensure their merger took place.

His SpAd has now stepped down. 3.3 of the Ministerial Code states that the actions of the Special Adviser are the responsibility of the Minister. He concedes his activities went to far.

Should we believe Hunt knew nothing of this?

[El Pibe]

I take it that's a rhetorical question.

PEston has insinuated that Hunt may be investigated for breaking insider trading rules too.

On a slight aside, I've literally just finished reading this http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/adamcurtis/2012/04/rupert_murdoch_-_a_portrait_of_1.html, the final sentence is a doozy!!

[Loz]

I think he looked a bit uncomfortable at a couple of the questions thrown at him in the commons - Ben Bradshaw especially seemed to corner him. Also, he seems to be avoiding the did he arrange the SpAd personally question as well.

I think that he deserves the chance to defend himself and Leveson should bring his appearance before the enquiry forward to as soon as possible. But, I think his days are numbered.

[david_carnell]

Adam Curtis is always good for a read.

So, when the dust settles on all this, who do we think will be the victor(s)? Politicians? The public? Or the Murdochs?

I know who my money is on...

[El Pibe]

Fortunately for the world, I don't think any of Rupert's successors have the drive, ruthless or frankly psycopathic tendencies to want to rule the world, I suspect James would be much happier running something he has the calibre to cope with and make enough to take some fancy ladies out occasionally.

Murdoch has helped transform the political fabric of this country from one of aloof arrogance to craven self-serving ingrates, and I'm not sure I want this new generation of politicians to win anything.

As for the public, I'd love them to win but can't help feeling that our hunger from his mass market, lowest common denominator gutter reporting was the real reason he was able to do what he did.

Everyone's a loser...huzzah!!

I'd settle for some standards in the press and some idea(l)s in politics frankly.

[david_carnell]

As for the public, I'd love them to win but can't help feeling that our hunger from his mass market, lowest common denominator gutter reporting was the real reason he was able to do what he did.

Build it and they will come?

I don't know. Was everyone in the 1970s crying out for the NoTW to reduce itself to the gutter press. Or the Sun to do the same. Sure, they had always been papers for the working man, but christ, at least they had standards and insight and educated the reader. I'd find it hard to believe anyone reads the Sun these days and learns anything.

And Sky. Were we really unhappy with four channels of quality tv rather than 104 of shopping and chat shows? I know these days it runs US imports of worth but they'd still be being bought by the BBC, ITV or Ch4 if Sky wasn't there. And they ruined football too.

I don't think anyone "wanted" or "asked" for any of it. We just stood by slack jawed and let it happen. The dyke burst and there is no turning back.

[El Pibe]

If we didn't want it we (the royal one obviously) wouldn't have bought 5 million Suns every day and all those NoTWs. It's rather telling that no other paper has witnessed an inflated sunday circulation. It was obviously providing something the public wanted.

And of course we learnt stuff! We learnt who to vote for.

I'm currently assured by the Sun that David Cameron is a worthless twerp.

Actually it's pretty spot on there.

To be fair sky was always about the footie really wasn't it.

[david_carnell]

But we had football. It was on BBC and ITV every week. Games kicked off at normal times on a Saturday and the money in the game was reasonable. Sky blew it all to smithereens.

I'm still not convinced there was some simmering hunger for gossip and rumour and tits before Murdoch. He introduced that to British media.

[El Pibe]

I'm not saying he didn't, and I'm certainly not saying we needed it, but we certainly lapped it up.

I think to a certain extent society has benefitted. The kow-towing respect for the establishment was unhealthy, but we most certainly have gone too far in the other direction.

The establishment is in fear of the gutter press and panders too much to those base instincts, plus we now have NO respect for the establishment and we tend to assume a lack of credibility on the part of its representatives.

Healthy skepticism = good, total lack of trust = bad.

I don't think it's any coincidence that our beloved leader and deputy leader both hark from PR!!

Actually I don't recall having that much football on the telly. Match of the day was longer highlights of fewer games, and I'm pretty sure live games were limited to the odd cup game weren't they?

Again though, the hype and expectation has sullied the beautiful game in many ways, I'm always reminded of that mitchell & webb sketch that perfectly parodies the sky coverage.

[Loz]

OK, I'm no Murdoch fan (or a football fan, for that matter), but really, the football coverage now is light years ahead of an hour of Match of the Day on a Saturday evening. I think pretty much every game (outside the still-sacred-for-some-reason Saturday 3pm kickoff) is available live. That can only be seen as an improvement.

I spent some time last night watching the Windies v Australia test. Would BBC of old have covered that? Nope. I get to watch snowboarding on Sky Sports late in the evening. The missus even watched the netball league last year.

Sports coverage on TV can only be said to have improved. A lot. And Murdoch - like him or hate him - made that happen.

[StraferJack]

Hmm - not everyone is big on tv I grant you but an emphatic YES - people were genuinely unhappy with only 4 channels. They were so unhappy they even cheered when C5 was launched fer chrissakes!

And was it 4 channels of quality TV - was it!!?

I watch less TV than ever these days but it's good to know that when I do I can choose between more than shopping and chat channels

Sky Arts 1 and 2 are in a class of their own. Sky Atlantic is chock full of quality HBO drama. More sport and movies than I could possibly watch (movies which don't have adverts AND which aren't TV versions with much of the dialogue beeped out)

So no - I don't grieve for the old days

Which isn't to say I like Murdoch or his malign influence in the political arena. But it's important to seperate what he sells to what he does. And it's not ALL bad

but we can check out the old TV listings here

as for the murdoch press, the ever excellent Andrew Mueller nails it here

The public

[Loz]

Great site, SJ.

BBC1, 08 May 1984

1905 Blankety Blank With Terry Wogan.

1940 A Question of Sport With David Coleman and team captains Bill Beaumont and Emlyn Hughes.

2010 Dallas

2100 Nine O'Clock News With Sue Lawley.

2125 The Golden Land. A trilogy of films about the Jews of the United States.

2215 Come Dancing Introduced by David Jacobs.

2300 Night Music. Vocals and music to satisfy and particular mood.

2345 News and Weather

2350 Closedown

Yep, why would you want 250 channels against that quality line up? Who needs telly after midnight, anyway?

[El Pibe]

That more or less tallies with my childhood memories.

Remember when you looked forward to christmas because there would be a James Bond film and a couple of Carry on Films late at night too?

Having said that, it's difficult to think that the seachange in our experiences is down to Murdoch and Sky and not just a facet of technological progress. Hat's off to the man for seeing the future and getting in there early though.

I am virtually footballed out mind (not quite enough to truly enjoy watching Ronaldo screw up Real's passage to the final mind, sporting *banned word* gold!!!!!)

*ETA tele-visual is a banned word apparently *

[StraferJack]

something about a spaniard always editing their posts to stick in the phrase ETA always raises an eyebrow

[dulwichgirl2]

The decline in tv and newspapers has surely gone apace with the decline in education standards and the aspiration to be seen as intelligent or educated. Even in the early 1980s, people still learned how to write a good letter, proper syntax and, in my case, (the lost art of) parsing.

[Huguenot]

Hee hee, Oh the irony.

I'm not sure you know what parsing means? Rest assured that you don't need to read or write to parse sentences, parsing is what we all do everyday to understand what someone else has said.

[????]

I think Hunt looks more dangerous to Cameron out of the Cabinet (or should I say firing line!) than in it, so he'll stay...for a bit. He should go - either on this being true or even if it's not he's not been on top of his brief/advisors). Poloticians - They never, ever , ever fail to disappoint, do they?