In the TV drama Succession, the Roy siblings do not get what they crave.
Kendall is left, walking disconsolately by the water; Roman is drinking alone at a bar; and a pregnant Shiv is locked in a seemingly loveless marriage with Tom. It is he, Tom Wambsgans, who secures the prize, being made chief executive of Waystar Royco, their family’s media vehicle, albeit in reduced form as part of the Gojo group belonging to tech mogul, Lukas Matsson.
So it is in real-life, with the three elder children of Rupert Murdoch. Elisabeth, James and Prudence sought a share of control of their father’s business empire. They wished to stop their brother, Lachlan, taking sole charge but that has not happened. They are then, crushed. Not quite. The blow is sweetened by the payment of $1.1 billion each, to add to the billions they’ve inherited from their father.
Still, Lachlan emerges triumphant in a way the Roy brothers and sister, and Tom, do not. He is the one stepping into Rupert’s shoes, the only Murdoch child at the top of Fox News and News Corp. They are effectively his to do as he pleases.
His success has come at personal cost. The trio tried to prevent Rupert and Lachlan writing them out of the family trust that controlled the twin TV and newspaper strands. Father and son called their wrestling Project Family Harmony, a misnomer if ever there was one, as the resulting court battle proved. In legal evidence that would have done the Succession scriptwriters proud, the mutual animosity between them and the three was laid bare.
Rupert, too, got his way and in that sense, he is also victorious. As he once wrote to his former wife Anna and the mother of Elisabeth, Lachlan and James: “Would love nothing more than peace all around. But the fact remains, Lachlan is the best to run the business – greatly respected inside and outside!”
Not entirely. The veteran tycoon did not secure anything like peace all around. His manoeuvring only served to highlight the deep discord at the heart of the dynasty.
Little has changed. Lachlan has been running the show for some time, with Rupert exerting considerable influence in the background. The threat, though, to Lachlan’s primacy has vanished. What has also dissipated is the possibility that Fox may change; that the network may relax its firm, pro-Trump stance. Indeed, another who can derive satisfaction from the outcome is the US President. If Elisabeth, James and Prudence had won, Fox’s Maga zeal would have been curtailed.
Where does it leave the four? Lachlan must manage TV and newspapers. He professes to love newspapers, which ought to be welcome for the employees of its main titles, The Times and Sunday Times, The Sun in the UK, The Wall Street Journal and The Australian. Doubts remain, however, as to how committed he really is. Certainly, he has exhibited little of Rupert’s inky-fingered passion for the papers. The old man was schooled in their journalism and production. He was across all aspects of the operation, eating and breathing them and their content, look and feel, and how many copies they were selling.
In time, they and their nascent TV and radio interests, together with the rest of News Corp, which includes publisher Harper Collins, could find themselves sold as Lachlan concentrates on Fox, where he does have an affinity. Fox is walking a tightrope where Trump is concerned – it has supported him over his dealings with Jeffrey Epstein, although it is questionable how sustainable that is, should opinion against the President on the issue harden. The crude drawing, said to have been produced by Trump for Epstein’s 50th birthday, is dominating US headlines. Trump says the sketch, complete with his signature, is not his.
News of the cartoon’s existence was revealed by The Wall Street Journal, which Trump is suing. Quite how that suit will proceed, now that the picture has been published, isn’t clear. It seems contradictory that Rupert would sanction one of his products to so inflame Trump while another is supportive. But unpredictability has always been his hallmark. They have different audiences and Rupert was playing to them both. It is unlikely that Lachlan will display the same trait and while he talks a good fight, tackling someone as powerful as Trump will not surely appeal.
The challenge Lachlan faces is from the myriad social media and channels crowding into Fox’s space and that of the newspapers. He has been given the keys to the kingdom but it is far from ring-fenced.
Elisabeth, James and Prudence will probably stay as they are – investing in businesses and causes that interest them.
While Lachlan will keep alive the Murdoch flame, it is not guaranteed. Rupert will be relieved but it is not the ending he would have wanted or that is in keeping with his character.
Ideally, he would have wished for all four to somehow be involved and possibly relished the prospect of their bouncing off each other, with Lachlan having the final say. Like Logan Roy, he would have enjoyed watching the sparks fly, believing it was good for energy and creativity.
Rupert and Lachlan have won all right, but something is lost.
