At age 85, Rupert Murdoch has a history of racism, homophobia, and corruption, but he still controls the world’s largest news company, NewsCorp. For more than 20 years, observers have expected Rupert to turn over control of the media empire to one of his three, more socially moderate, children.
Note : Nextbigfuture was using the term “Blame” based on scout.ai article. I have no problem with Fox News. I do not have any cable TV. Only internet. The point is that the premise that executives dying would change media is false. ie. MSNBC having executives die would not change MSNBC either. If shorter lives accelerated reform then North Korea could see reform as they have gone through four leaders in a few decades.
Scout.ai hates Murdoch and Cheney
Roger Ailes, 76, has been already been fighting with Murdoch’s sons over control of Fox News. It seems obvious that if Fox News were dominated by Murdoch’s sons and became less right wing then Roger Ailes would go off to a different media company and create the right wing alternative to a “soft” Fox News. Breitbart might also expand into cable.
In the scenario of a softer Fox News, MSNBC ratings would still be terrible.
Nextbigfuture believes that if Donald Trump fails in his bid for the Presidency then he will form his own network. Trump was able to get 30 million to tune into a Presidential debate. It will not be an ideologically pure channel but it will likely be anti-immigrant. I would see Donald luring Howard Stern to the new channel. It will be more entertainment and media circus. I would expect it to have double the ratings of Fox.
The shift to more reality TV style and lower fact content would continue.
NBCs tonight show has gone from Johnny Carson to Jay Leno to Conan O’Brien to Jay Leno to Jimmy Fallon. It still is the ratings leader. It is maintaining a similar niche in the political spectrum. It is slowly shifting as the entire audience shifts.
In a world of shorter lives, there would still be a lot of political continuity. If Fidel Castro had a shorter life by 10-15 years, Fidel still hands off to his brother.
The North Korean leaders have been relatively short lived but they are still handing down political continuity.
There was the cultural shift in the United States to more racial equality. It did not happen because the people with racist views died. People changed their minds or softened their views.
There has been a cultural shift on gay marriage and legalization of marijuana. Some of this has been the aging out process, but it has been baby boomers getting more power even though the older people with different views are still alive.
Even with longevity, if the younger generations get jobs and money then they get more influence. At 18, they still get their vote in democratic countries.
Africa has a lot of tribal views and antagonism towards gays and other groups. Even though many African countries have shorter lifespans this has not accelerated any move towards greater “enlightenment”.
So what do we see in the Scout.ai article? They are liberal and want Dick Cheney and Rupert Murdoch dead, because MSNBC remains pathetic.
If there was some kind of Game of Thrones Red Wedding at Fox News where all of the executives and TV personalities were wiped out, this would still not mean the rise of MSNBC.
The void would be filled by Breitbart, Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck. Something else right wing would fill the Fox News niche.
Some data on Dictators
Matthew White wrote The Great Big Book of Horrible Things: The Definitive Chronicle of History’s 100 Worst Atrocities” (2011). In it, Matthew White tracked the fates of the leaders most responsible for the 100-deadliest human events. A majority, he found, lived out their natural life spans in peace.
“About 60 percent of the individual oppressors and warmongers who were most responsible for each of these multicides lived happily ever after,” White wrote.
Some data on CEOs
shareholder activism and changes in corporate governance have transformed the CEO’s world, especially in Europe and North America. For example, from 1995 to 2001:
- Turnover of the CEOs of major corporations increased by 53 percent.
- The number of CEOs departing because of the company’s poor financial performance increased by 130 percent.
- The average tenure of CEOs declined from 9.5 years to 7.3 years.
The premature departure of a CEO — a “retirement” that, however described, is not voluntary, and that in years past befell only the unlucky or ineffective — is no longer an exceptional event, but the rule. Of the CEOs who departed in 1995, 72 percent either died in office or retired, with thanks from their boards, according to a public schedule. In 2001, only 47 percent of corporate chiefs achieved such regular transitions. The “new normal” is an early departure for the CEO, either because of performance or because of a merger. Today’s CEOs are like professional athletes — young people with short, well-compensated careers that continue only as long as they perform at exceptional levels.
SOURCES- Wikipedia, Thewrap, Scout.ai
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
Known for identifying cutting edge technologies, he is currently a Co-Founder of a startup and fundraiser for high potential early-stage companies. He is the Head of Research for Allocations for deep technology investments and an Angel Investor at Space Angels.
A frequent speaker at corporations, he has been a TEDx speaker, a Singularity University speaker and guest at numerous interviews for radio and podcasts. He is open to public speaking and advising engagements.