擒数网 （随信APP) | 专栏文章：福克斯新闻的未来未卜

鲁珀特·默多克是将新闻集团和福克斯公司打造成全球传媒巨头的人，在2007年 - 版权 AFP JAMIE MCDONALD

由于默多克家族之间的争执，可能会对新闻集团和尤其是福克斯新闻的领导和方向产生重大变化。雷诺的一家法院正在审理对立的默多克阵营的案件。争斗的焦点是默多克家族信托基金，该基金控制着默多克的赚钱机构。

对新闻集团的相关投票问题也正在通过股东投票解决。信托目前拥有41%的投票股份，其他股份不能投票。提议是所有股份1比1投票，这将完全重新配置数字投票结构。默多克只拥有总股份的14%，因此从数量上说，这是一个非常不同的环境。

新闻集团的其他利益相关者可能会将福克斯和新闻集团整体转向“左翼”。这是一个重大问题。新闻集团以严重支持右派而闻名，并且是特朗普等游客的主要平台。

另一个问题是钱。就价值、分布和市场覆盖范围而言，尤其是福克斯是接受收购的明显目标，如果投票赞成新的投票权则可以实现。

这并不太可能。股东投票不能强制改变投票权。这更像是一次全民公决。除非信托之争导致僵局，否则默多克家族不可能考虑在这个规模上进行资产拆分。

默多克对默多克可能会演变成一场酒吧斗殴。公平地说，到目前为止一切都相当文明，家族没有人多说什么。目前这只是一场“争执”，而不是一场全面战争。

鲁珀特和拉克兰站在右派。其他人站在左派，不管意味着什么。一些评论人士表示，放弃右派可能会成为新闻集团的一场营销灾难。

考虑到福克斯对美国政治进行极度偏见报道，并与特朗普、马斯克等人互动，市场对其接受度居高不下，这种评估可能是正确的。福克斯能以除现状以外的任何方式重塑自我吗？也许不行。

根据各种报告，福克斯的收入稳健，利润有所增加，但目前有些停滞。过去七年，收入增长了约40%。你需要对一些对福克斯作为企业的负面“解读”提出质疑。看起来它是相当健康的。

这当然是信托问题的主要问题。默多克家族并不是在争夺一个腐烂的躯体。雷诺的决定可能重写企业和美国政治的剧本。

默多克大本营的平静也表明，这个案件完全是商业之争。他们并不是在试图破坏新闻集团或自己。他们没有对自己或自己的企业发动军事般行动。

鲁珀特·默多克很久以前就说过，他在迎合他看到的美国保守主义市场。同样的保守主义让新闻集团和福克斯发展成现在的样子。自那时起，钱源源不断地涌入默多克的囊中。

不要假设会有任何突然的裂痕或除了在法庭案件中进行坚韧谈判以外的任何事情，这可能需要一段时间。无论你喜欢与否，默多克家族知道如何做生意。

关键问题是默多克家族之间能否做生意。

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Rupert Murdoch, who built News Corp and Fox Corporation into global media powerhouses, in 2007 - Copyright AFP JAMIE MCDONALD

Big changes to the leadership and direction of News Corp and FOX News in particular could result from a major Murdoch family dispute. A court in Reno is currently hearing the case for the opposing Murdoch factions. The battle is over the Murdoch Family Trust, the controlling entity of the Murdoch moneymakers.

Related voting issues for News Corp are also being addressed by a shareholders’ vote. The Trust currently has 41% of the voting shares, and other shares can’t vote. The idea is a 1 for 1 vote for all shares, which would completely reconfigure the numerical voting structure. Murdoch only has 14% of the total shares, so numerically, it’s a very different environment.

Other stakeholders in News Corp could redirect FOX and News Corp as a whole “to the left”. That’s a big issue. News Corp is famous for being heavily committed to the right and is the main platform for Trump and other tourists.

The other issue is money. In terms of value, distribution, and market reach, FOX in particular is an obvious target for takeovers if the shareholder vote in favor of the new voting rights goes through.

That’s not very likely. The shareholder vote can’t force a change to voting rights. It’s more like a referendum. The Murdochs couldn’t possibly be thinking of splitting assets on that scale, unless the Trust fight leads to an impasse.

Murdoch vs Murdoch could be a barroom brawl. To be fair, it’s been pretty civilized so far, and nobody in the family is saying much, if anything. It’s a “dispute” at this point, not an all-out war.

Rupert and Lachlan are on the right. The others are on the left, whatever that means. Some pundits say that ditching the right would be a marketing disaster for News Corp.

Given the apparent market acceptance of FOX’s ultra-biased coverage of US politics and the public interplay with people like Trump, Musk, and others, that assessment may be right. Can FOX reinvent itself as anything but what it is? Maybe not.

FOX revenue is solid and profit is up a bit, but currently somewhat stagnant, according to various reports. Revenue has risen by about 40% over the last seven years. You have to question some of the more negative “interpretations” of FOX as a business. It seems pretty healthy.

That, naturally, is the main issue for the Trust issues. The Murdochs aren’t picking over a rotting carcass. The Reno decision could rewrite the script for the business and US politics in general.

The notable lack of hysteria in the Murdoch camp also indicates that this case is all pure business. They’re not trying to sabotage News Corp or themselves. They’re not on some crusade against themselves or their business.

Rupert Murdoch said long ago that he was catering to what he saw as an underdeveloped market in US conservatism. That same conservatism has piggybacked News Corp and FOX to become what it is. The money has been coming into Murdoch’s coffers in tides ever since.

Don’t assume there’ll be any sudden schism or anything but hardheaded negotiation in the court case, and that may take a while. Like them or not, the Murdochs know how to do business.

It’s whether the Murdochs can do business with each other that’s the crucial issue.

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The opinions expressed in this Op-Ed are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Digital Journal or its members.