Rupert Murdoch has announced a wave of senior management appointments across his media empire as he prepares for the splitting of News Corp into two separate divisions next year.
The reshuffle sees Robert Thomson, the current managing editor of the Wall Street Journal, take over as chief executive of the new publishing company, which will retain the name News Corp. It will incorporate News Corp’s Australian TV and digital interests as well as its US, British and Australian newspapers and the HarperCollins book publishing business.
Gerald Baker, deputy managing editor of the Wall Street Journal, has been named managing editor of the business newspaper as well as editor-in-chief of Dow Jones Newswires, succeeding Mr Thomson.
Tom Mockridge, chief executive of News International and a 22-year News Corp veteran, will be leaving the company at the end of the year. He will be replaced by Mike Darcey, chief operating officer at satellite broadcaster BSkyB, who takes over at the helm of Mr Murdoch’s UK publishing division.
Mr Mockridge resigned unexpectedly as chief executive of the UK newspaper arm after being passed over for the chief executive position at the publishing company that News Corp is expected to spin off next year.
News Corp also announced that it was to cease publication of the Daily, its iPad only newspaper launched in 2011. The company said Jesse Angelo, founding editor-in-chief of the Daily and also long-time executive editor of the New York Post, would assume the role of publisher of the Post.
News Corp is trying to put together two executive and non-executive teams for the entertainment and publishing companies that will emerge from its planned split. Mr Murdoch will chair the new publishing company and be both chairman and chief executive of the far larger entertainment company, which will be named Fox Group. – (Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2012)
