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Switching Power: Rupert Murdoch and the Global Business of Media Politics

A Sociological Analysis

University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication, aarsenau{at}usc.edu

Manuel Castells

University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication, castells{at}usc.edu

This article proposes a hypothesis on the nature of power in the network society, the social structure of the Information Age. It argues that the ability to control connection points between different networks (e.g. business, media and economic networks) is a critical source of power in contemporary society. It then tests this hypothesis through a case study of Rupert Murdoch, CEO of NewsCorp. The operational dynamics of Rupert Murdoch and NewsCorp are examined in order to illustrate how corporate media actors negotiate the power dynamics of the network society to serve their overarching business goals. It identifies key strategies used by these actors to penetrate new markets and expand audience share including: political brokering, leveraging public opinion, instituting sensationalist news formulas, customizing media content and diversifying and adapting media holdings in the face of technological and regulatory changes.

Key Words: media ownership • networks • NewsCorp • Rupert Murdoch

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