[cma-l] Fwd: 24 hours left! The Murdoch Media Menace

Thu Dec 30 20:18:18 GMT 2010

Why does Murdoch want to
take 100% of BskyB? 

Because he understands that all the development costs, marketing costs
and other costs, such as football rights are all covered by the company and
show a straight line in the balance sheet. Therefore billions of revenue will
go to the bottom line and he can milk the business for the next five years.

Is this government going to
let this go through?

It would be a suicidal Government to tell him no.

So this Government has to justify
such an action?

Just like local building developments, there has to be a pay off for the
local authorities in the form of a new road, a play area or community hall. 

So what on earth could the
Government ask for to off-set this control of British media?

Firstly I would think is to pay taxes in the UK territories! But
more importantly to chip in to some Government ambitions such as local TV,
local media, faster broadband and oh community radio!

I am talking to hunt about TV and regulation stuff, I am sure he would
at least listen to some cohesive points on CR funding in the mix?

As I said previously, these
are opportunist times not negative times.

ends

--- On Thu, 30/12/10, mark polden <markianpolden at hotmail.com> wrote:

From: mark polden <markianpolden at hotmail.com>
Subject: RE: [cma-l] Fwd: 24 hours left! The Murdoch Media Menace
To: bobtyler at btinternet.com, phil at somersetfilm.com, "CMA-L" <cma-l at commedia.org.uk>
Date: Thursday, 30 December, 2010, 19:20

The answer is to not get involved with this, but seize the middle ground. There is a place for a left wing media (BBC/Guardian) and a rightwing media (Sky/Fox) et al
The community media sector's position and strength should be in the middle offering a true unbiased view as described in letter and the spirit of the ofcom broadcasting code
Mark PoldenFlame CCR

Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2010 18:25:47 +0000
From: bobtyler at btinternet.com
To: phil at somersetfilm.com
CC: cma-l at commedia.org.uk
Subject: Re: [cma-l] Fwd: 24 hours left! The Murdoch Media Menace

are you sure this is a good idea?

--- On Thu, 30/12/10, Phil Shep <phil at somersetfilm.com> wrote:

From: Phil Shep <phil at somersetfilm.com>
Subject: [cma-l] Fwd: 24 hours left! The Murdoch Media Menace
To: "CMA-L" <cma-l at commedia.org.uk>
Date: Thursday, 30 December, 2010, 11:55

Phil ShepherdSomerset FilmChair, UK Community Media Association
Begin forwarded message:

From: "Alex Wilks - Avaaz.org" <avaaz at avaaz.org>
Date: 30 December 2010 09:51:33 GMT
To: "phil at somersetfilm.com" <phil at somersetfilm.com>
Subject: 24 hours left! The Murdoch Media Menace

Wow - in just 2 days, nearly 30,000 of us have signed the petition for an impartial investigation in the BSkyB Murdoch's decision. The next 24 hours are crucial, let's get to 50.000! Sign below and forward this email to everyone: 

Dear friends across the UK,

 Rupert Murdoch wants to buy his way to more media and political power with his bid for full ownership of BSkyB. We only have 4 days to press the government  to initiate a full review of what this would mean for our media. 

This week sees a vital test for our democracy. How we act now will determine whether – in new years to come - our media is dominated by a few corporate bullies or sustained by diverse independent voices.

The Prime Minister has stripped Vince Cable of responsibility for judging the BSkyB media takeover because Cable stated strong views on Rupert Murdoch. But – ridiculously – David Cameron has given the task to another minister who’s clearly biased. Jeremy Hunt says he is a massive Murdoch fan. We can’t trust Hunt to stop Murdoch dragging our public debate into the gutter, as he has done in the US.

Let’s urgently show Jeremy Hunt and David Cameron how we feel. If we make a big fuss the government won’t be able to wave through the Murdoch deal and will be forced to order a full and fair review by the Competition Commission. Sign the petition and send to friends and family -- Avaaz and 38 Degrees will deliver it this Friday. 

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/murdoch_bskyb/?vl

If it buys the rest of BSkyB TV on top of the many newspapers it already owns, Murdoch’s News Corporation could soon control half of UK national newspapers and television. This would fly in the face of the law guaranteeing ‘media plurality’. But this law is new and untested, and the government needs guts to uphold it in the face of Murdoch’s powerful political machine. 

Regulator Ofcom is due to submit its assessment of Murdoch’s plans on new year’s eve. Then it’s up to Jeremy Hunt to decide what to do next. He can either say OK to the deal, or refer it to the Competition Commission – for a full assessment that includes plurality, or a limited commercial review, as if this was the market for washing machines. Worryingly Hunt seems to see the media that way – his website states that Rupert Murdoch “has probably done more to create variety and choice in British TV than any other single person”. 

We know that the Murdoch family doesn’t just own newspapers, but wields major political influence. Rupert Murdoch and his son James have had several meetings with David Cameron and Jeremy Hunt since the election. The Murdochs presumably pressed for concessions to increase their commercial empire – including by attacking the BBC. Murdoch’s Fox News has pushed an aggressive line against action on climate change and for the war in Iraq. 

This decision is one of the most important that this government will take – and can’t be based on one minister’s opinion following a rushed portfolio swap. To keep our media in safe hands let’s sign the petition calling for a review that will guarantee a diverse and fair media. 

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/murdoch_bskyb/?vl

In the world we are striving to create vital decisions will be taken on the basis of heartfelt principles, not high politics. This review is our chance to ensure our media can hold our politicians and businesses to account for many years into the future.  

Determined to end the year with another great campaign,

Alex, Ricken, Luis, Brianna and the whole Avaaz team

MORE INFORMATION

Murdoch's BSkyB Deal Chances Improve as Conservative Hunt Is Given Review (Bloomberg) 

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-22/murdoch-s-bskyb-deal-chances-improve-as-jeremy-hunt-takes-over-review.html

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt allowed to rule on Murdoch's Sky bid despite claims of bias (Daily Mail) 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1340994/Culture-Secretary-Jeremy-Hunt-allowed-rule-Murdochs-Sky-bid-despite-claims-bias-Labour.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Conservative links to Murdoch under scrutiny as private meeting revealed (The Guardian) 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/dec/22/conservative-links-murdoch-private-meeting

Fox boss ordered staff to cast doubt on climate science (Media Matters) 

http://mediamatters.org/blog/201012150004 

Rupert Murdoch’s growing media empire (BBC) 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10317856 

Official memo on why the Murdoch bid would damage the media (BEEHIVECITY) 

http://www.beehivecity.com/television/why-murdochs-bid-for-sky-should-be-blocked-memo-in-full/ 

Support the Avaaz community! We're entirely funded by donations and receive no money from governments or corporations. Our dedicated team ensures even the smallest contributions go a long way -- donate here.

Avaaz.org is a 6.5-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people shape global decision-making. ("Avaaz" means "voice" or "song" in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 13 countries on 4 continents and operates in 14 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz's biggest campaigns here, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

This message was sent to phil at somersetfilm.com. To change your email address, language, or other
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