Could we be about to see the dissolution of the Rupert Murdoch empire that took decades to assemble? Investors have been stunned to see him explore a break-up of 21st Century Fox and discuss the sale of prime film and television assets, Fox’s prized movie studio, cable channels and international investments such as Sky. One such deal has fallen but others are likely to be in the pipeline. He has even talked of closing down Sky News if UK regulators block a proposed takeover by Fox, which he is pushing for. All very byzantine but it is shaking the financial world.
Murdoch senior, 11 March 1931 11.55pm Melbourne, Australia is now 86 so will be wanting to slow down. Plus he has tr Saturn heading for his Capricorn Ascendant from this year-end which will accelerate the process as old ambitions lose their fire. Tr Pluto is also opposing his Pluto and in 2018/19 conjunct his Saturn which looks like an almighty struggle, with an overtone of financial shortages (all relative, of course). He’s largely in the legacy (old) media business which is under increasing pressure from the new internet media and streamers like Netflix. He’s getting a fair jolt financially in March 2018 with tr Uranus square his 8th house Mars; and nothing good thereafter.
Son James, 13 December 1972, looks fairly flattened by the next three or four years with tr Neptune square his Saturn in Gemini from mid 2018 for eighteen months, and continuing on to conjunct his Sun/Saturn, then square his Sun; with a total upheaval in 2019/2020.
The relationship between them is being jolted, jangled and separated over the next three years.
Who’d have thought it? A 20th Century dinosaur about to shed its mammoth coat.
Do you have any thoughts on the AT&T, TW merger, especially as it seems Trump is trying to punish CNN by blocking it. Will he succeed? What about Zucker’s future? And Cooper, Tapper and co?
I think it’s extraordinary that he’s held it together for so long with only a fixed Venus, which is all channeled there in the 2nd house.. It’s a very cardinal chart, I expect he’s fine when it was all going forwards, not so much success with planning for the future and keeping it together.
No 9th house emphasis, but a very out of bounds Moon in Sagittarius, in mutual reception with a powerful stationary Jupiter in the 7th. The moon doubles up to rule both the 7th and 8th houses, so someone who is instinctively good at turning deals into mergers and investment from partners.
It’s a lot for James and Lachlan to live up to and Elisabeth was never interested. So he could be making it more manageable. But as you say, he has lost a lot of his power in recent times.
His Saturn in Capricorn opposition Pluto is like an iron road across his chart and squaring onto Uranus Node gives him a driving motivation to make a difference, stand out from the crowd and destabilise what went before. But you’re right about him being better when he’s moving ahead. Trouble is he caught the new technology when he was too old to adapt to it.
“..iron road across his chart” is a wonderful description! It’s also interesting to consider his approach to digital media – the paywall, while viewing that square onto the Uranus/Node. It’s almost like that T-square’s energy switched direction, if that makes any sense?
Interestingly the news today says he is looking to buy CNN. That is a terrifying prospect.
Yes, in case AT&T deal is deemed against antitrust laws. I kind of don’t get the logic here – a telephone operator owning a TV channel would somehow violate the antitrust law, but the same mediacompany owning two largest cable news companies in The US wouldn’t? That said, this would definitely put either CNN or Sky News off air in EU, since The EU Laws clearly condemn such a situation.