Murdoch, Circling The Times

For years, Rupert Murdoch has done battle with The New York Times using the very imperfect weapon that is the New York Post—a classic scrappy tabloid, provocative and fun to read, but no match for the Gray Lady in clout, circulation or ad revenue.

Now, however, Murdoch has re-armed, and the Times should be afraid. Very afraid.

Murdoch's near-deal to buy Newsday for $580 million means that the Australian-turned-American press baron has the Times surrounded and hemmed in in a manner that any military strategist would appreciate.

Assuming the Newsday deal goes through, here's how Murdoch threatens the Times:
• From below, and in New York City, with the New York Post.
• From the side, in the Long Island suburbs—with potential to move elsewhere—with Newsday. Imagine Murdoch dusting off the old New York Newsday plan and giving The Times a real run for its money as the quality local newspaper in New York. Or what if Murdoch decided to expand Newsday beyond L.I. 'burbs and takes it into affluent Connecticut, New Jersey or Westchester, encircling The Times in markets in which it now has hegemony?
• From above, with top-notch financial and national coverage—and national distribution and influence—with The Wall Street Journal. You think the Journal's recent changes and expansion into broader coverage, especially of politics, is designed to increase it appeal to its core business audience? Of course not. It's a direct strike at The Times' strength as the only serious national newspaper.
• Bonus: Murdoch owns a couple of New York City TV stations, as well.

Put all those pieces together, as the savvy Murdoch is doing, and voila, The Times is surrounded. Everywhere it turns, it will see Rupert Murdoch. Checkmate

It's a fascinating scenario, and it still could be derailed by antitrust concerns (doubtful, really) or further deterioration in the advertising market. But if he can get Newsday, Murdoch will have the final weapon for a pincers attack on the nation's premier newspaper, in both its home and national markets.

And at that point, the end game for The Times is....what? Wow, suddenly the unthinkable, selling out to Murdoch, might be the inevitable outcome. This multi-front newspaper war is going to be interesting to watch.

More reading: Veteran media analyst Lauren Rich Fine has a slightly different take on what Murdoch is up to.

And another interesting opinion, from Alan Mutter, who believes the real threat is to the New York Daily News.

Comments

[Dave Mastio]

Couldn't the NYT's dodge the whole thing and abandon NY altogether as a front in the war and set out to defend and expand its perch as the national left-leaning paper. Seems to me like that could be a lucrative niche Murdoch would be helpless to assail.

(Not to toot my own horn here, but a couple posts back on editorial pages, I said, "I think a smarter publisher would be coming up with a strategy to expand the local opinion section." What did Murdoch's redesign do at the WSJ? More space for the opinion section.)

[tim]

>selling out to Murdoch, might be the inevitable outcome

Seriously, why do you continue to pretend to have some kind of authority on these matters, when you repeatedly show that you have no idea what you're talking about?

[Rupert_Hire_Me]

Hyman Roth always made money for his friends. So does Rupert Murdoch. I want to work for Rupert Murdoch.

[jackl]

Hmmm. Hemmed in by what? A couple of mediocre tabloids and a repurposed Wall Street Journal meets USA Today? And this assumes that Murdoch is going to "out quality" the Times in pumping up all these properties? Then why isn't Fox the flagship TV network now, using that logic?

[The Honorable Anon....]

I'm a delivery foreman for the Times...don't know if you know what 'wholesalers' are but the Times owns a Company called "City & Suburban Delivery Systems". From Reuters: "The Company's subsidiary, City & Suburban Delivery Systems, Inc. (City & Suburban), operates a wholesale newspaper distribution business that distributes The Times and other newspapers and periodicals in New York City, Long Island (N.Y.), New Jersey and the counties of Westchester (N.Y.) and Fairfield (Conn.)."

These other papers include the NYPost, the Daily News and Newsday. Yes, Rupert PAYS the Times to distribute his papers in the burbs. If you think this is going to last for long, well..........He is tightening the noose; when he gets Newsday all his presses will be multi capable; he'll be able to print the Post on WSJ presses, etc. and then lets see who distributes them. I haven't seen one mention of any of this in any of the speculative articles, but believe me, the Times is mucho worried.........