Have you heard about the Murdochs?

January 13, 2010

Elisabeth Murdoch, daughter of media gazillionaire, Rupert, is back in the news again. [The Daily Beast]

Locals in the know may recall that Ms. Murdoch, who currently owns a television production company in London, actually got her formal start in the media biz right here in sleepy San Luis Obispo. Rupert arranged for his daughter and her first husband to buy KSBY-TV back in the mid-90’s (they also took over a second station in Salinas) The couple moved into digs up in Carmel and Elisabeth made the regular commute south.

Their ownership was not without controversy, especially when they forced out veteran KSBY news anchor Rick Martel, just one of many staff casualties. But the young couple soon tired of small station ownership. They sold both stations for a multi-million dollar profit and moved to London, where the first husband reportedly lost it all in a failed newspaper venture — then he lost Elisabeth in a divorce.

So now Elisabeth and her second husband–Matthew Freud–are embroiled in the Murdoch family’s high-profile attempt to shut down Roger Ailes, the founder and popular head of Fox News. Ailes, an experienced and respected media operative is a personal favorite of Rupert’s. However, he is apparently at odds with other members of the Murdoch family who view him as a threat to their influence.

It has all the makings of a great soap opera, but these Murdochs need to be careful. Roger Ailes is no Rick Martel — he is not likely to go quietly.