Jump to content

News Corps Proposed take over of BSKYB


Recommended Posts

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 9 months later...

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?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites



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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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 *

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • A repetitive tried and tested cycle that seems to be slowing down in London thankfully. Brixton was the start. Councils consciously and purposely let an area decline until that area is next on the list for social and ethnic cleansing and ultimately gentrification. In come the first wave of arty/ creatives to squat and house share. A few coffee shops and cool but inexpensive cafe/ bars and art spaces open up. The crackheads, dealers and other assorted criminals who were once left to operate openly and brazenly to sell, shop lift, mug, beg, purchase,  publicly consume on decent folks doorsteps, stairwells,in bin sheds and without fear of the law begin to be targeted, rounded up and moved on. A few more jaunty and sustainable coffee shops/ bars appear . The Guardian and other facilitators in the media jump on the bandwagon, first claims of vibrancy are rolled out. Next step a few cool retro clothing shops pop up selling ' reclaimed Levi's for more than they originally cost and ten times the price of what the recently departed charity shop charged. Foxtons open a branch and the arty types and first wavers/ drivers have there first moan about there initially paltry rents going up. The guardian do a generic lets move to Brixton, Dalston, Hackney, Deptford, Walthamstow type double pager. Interview a graphic designer or two who have just bought a former crack den on the manor for next to peanuts. They will later bemoan the next wave who have more money than them. Cool, edgy and vibrant are now the buzzword bingo must use lingo. Few more coffee shops ( how original ) Pop up everything,. Organic and sour dough move in. The night time economy starts to thrive, more cool bars and eateries open. More squats and the last crack house that was once one of many are cleared out. Second wave is around the corner.   All of a sudden there's a visible police presence again and the streets are safe for fun seekers with plenty of disposable cash to chuck about on a dose of vibrancy with added coolness. By this stage even the locally brewed beer is organic. There's queues outside the newly arrived organic, sourdough, artisan and sustainable bakers. Instagram has Brixton trending. The greasy spoon of thirty year has gone cause the lease is up and the landlord has hiked the rents up by 60/70%. Followed by small family run independents that served the community  for decades and more.  The local characters, activists, eccentrics are getting less and less. There's a new show in town for a week or two and until the next brand arrives. Brewdog move in. Former job centres are converted into bars but peak edginess means it's still called the job centre. Followed by a couple more chain eateries. The resident DJ'S and music venues are replaced by another generic brand boasting guest chefs. The Guardian lifestyle section is now on it's fifth or sixth orgasm. Turn a few pages and hypocrisy is rampant with articles on the evils of gentrification, foxtons, capitalism, social cleansing and unaffordable housing. The middle classes continue to arrive in there droves to buy into the vibrancy and multiculturalism supposedly on offer. There isn't much multiculturalism going on at the packed latest place to eat, drink and fart. The multiculturalism on show comes in the form of bar staff, doorman and cheap as chips uber drivers and delivery workers. Rice and peas, jerk everything, red stripe at six quid a can from some hipster haunt that is currently flavour of the month and the place to be seen. The first wavers are now blaming the latest hedge funded brand that's pulled into town for driving gentrification and there soon to be hastened departure to be first wavers again somewhere else. Less cool but up and coming here we come. Covid has certainly helped/ been a factor in slowing down the process of gentrification. I also think it may be the driver for almost putting a stop to it. Remote working, less need to move to London to be near an office, less disposable cash, sky high rents, worthless degrees that relied on that disposable cash , different priorities, knife and gang crime and a large dose of much needed realism has put a huge spanner in the works for the shitty process and cycle that is/ was the gentrification and social cleansing of working class London. Manchester and Liverpool is next on the list for the planners. Thankfully.
    • Can you just queue up to withdraw cash or are other transactions like stamp purchasing required?  Do M&S do cash back?
    • Or don't stop using cash. Stop using your phone or even your watch as a banknote. At the same time avoid the risk of having your card cloned at cash points, by hand held card readers, oyster readers and point-of sale terminals to name a few. God only knows how much damage we're doing to the planet because all the above must require a hell of a lot of resources and juice from the grid. It won't happen though. I know of quite a few people who deem carrying cash about as a pain/ chore. But not a big lump of plastic with a screen and full of personal information that can be easily gleamed. I feel the same about carrying a phone about so i don't most of the time. I'll be in the minority but certainly don't see or treat a phone as a necessity.  You can't get a banknote out of your sky rocket with a phone in your hand. It's become a source of dopamine for many. It's an addiction for many. They're an easy target for thieves. They're a godsend to cyber fraudsters who are stealing billions and are doing so without the need of cash points.
    • There used to be an Osteopath at The Gardens (not physio) but they have since left.
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...