MEDIA NEWS:

Serious doubts have emerged about the capacity of Rupert Murdoch to continue as head of the global media conglomerate, News Corp International, following what insiders describe as “his biggest commercial bungle since the last one”.

Company insiders who spoke to The Bug on condition of anonymity said the 91-year-old media tycoon had himself provided evidence of his growing incapacity to lead the company and its numerous subsidiaries and affiliates in the US, UK, Australia, and other markets.

The News Corp insider said he believed Rupert Murdoch’s recent marital troubles could not be used as an excuse for his latest blunder.

“Trouble has been brewing for a long time – long before he and Jerry were even hitched. In fact many of us thought the old bloke was well past his commercial use-by date a decade ago when he bought the MySpace website for half-a-billion bucks before having to offload it for way less than 10% of that a few years later,” the insider said.

“Then more recently he signed up that pompous talentless pommy blowhard Piers Morgan to front an international TV show on News Corp’s various pay-TV channels including Sky News in Australia.

“Trouble is nobody is watching Piers. Australians can tell how badly Morgan was doing by the fact Sky is currently heavily promoting a supposedly new ‘after dark’ replacement show fronted by Rowan Dean.

“Fuck me! If Rowan Dean’s the answers what’s the fucking question?”

The News Corp insider said Mr Murdoch’s latest “and potentially most embarrassing blunder” had likely been caused by commercial jealousy.

“Somebody has whispered in his ear that The Guardian Australia was for sale and he immediately made an outrageous overpriced offer for it, just because he could and because he hates any form of competition,” the insider explained.

“But the old coot is so deaf he didn’t realise he was being offered a chance to buy Gardening Australia off the ABC and Ita Buttrose was more than happy to accept the undisclosed sum on the table.

“We’ll start to see the impact very soon. In fact as early as tomorrow I understand The Weekend Australian will lead its front page with composting hints at the direction of new editor-in-chief Costa Georgiadis who held his first news conference with senior editorial staff this morning. (main picture)

“It’s a total fucking disaster. But, of course, nobody in News Corp at any level is game to voice any criticism of the old bastard.

“That includes me, naturally. Hell, I never uttered a word even when he had bright orange hair in the Wendy Deng days,” the insider said.