WSJ: News Corp. Switches On Charm Offensive (woos Democrats)

[Pirate Smile]

News Corp. Switches
On Charm Offensive

Fox Parent Woos Democrats
To Help Block Nielsen System
That Lowers Many of Its Ratings
By BRODY MULLINS
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
August 9, 2005; Page A4

WASHINGTON -- In becoming the nation's top-rated cable news network, Fox News Channel was helped by millions of conservative viewers who tuned in to watch the likes of Bill O'Reilly, Tony Snow and Cal Thomas. But to win a ratings war in Washington, Fox-parent News Corp. is counting on the support of some unlikely allies: Democrats.

News Corp. is quietly courting Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill to block a new local-TV ratings system that lowers ratings for many of its stations. The company contends the new ratings system, launched by Nielsen Media Research in four major television markets last year, greatly undercounts the number of African-Americans and Hispanics watching shows such as "Girlfriends" and "The Parkers" on the UPN network. Although Viacom Inc. owns UPN, News Corp. owns several big-city affiliates of the network.

To slow the rollout of the new ratings system, News Corp. has hired a who's who of Democratic operatives: Howard Wolfson, a spokesman for Sen. Hillary Clinton's 2000 Senate campaign; Mike Feldman, a top adviser to Al Gore; Chris Lehane, a political strategist for former President Bill Clinton; and Minyon Moore, who helped found the liberal America Coming Together group that spent millions of dollars last year trying to defeat President Bush.

While most U.S. corporations send a majority of their political donations to Republican candidates, News Corp. contributed 55% of $130,500 in individual donations from its political action committee to Democrats in 2004, according to the nonpartisan PoliticalMoneyLine, which tracks political contributions. Some of the biggest recipients of News Corp. money last year were liberals such as Sen. Barbara Boxer of California, Rep. Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Rep. Henry Waxman of California. From 1997 to 2003, the company's PAC gave 57% of its individual donations to Republicans.

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/0,,SB112354389401108107-C64837ekOXDpRXvQ28EXJA5TICM_20060808,00.html?mod=blogs

edit to add:

[geek tragedy]

1. Did someone write this just to make people's heads explode here?

Yikes.

[bahrbearian]

2. I thought they already had Biden and Lieberman?

[VegasWolf]

8. Yes, and Zell Miller! nt

[Anarcho-Socialist]

3. Is this a weird parallel universe?

[zbdent]

4. Is it April Fool's Day already? My, how time flies.

The "55 percent" to Dems has got to be the WSJ lying . . .

[AlGore-08.com]

7. Nope, Murdoch is just smart enough to know that the GOP can't always win

And even if the Dems don't control the government, they can still get in the way of the legislation he wants. But if he buys them off ahead of time... no problem.

It's just another screaming example of why we need campaign finance reform, IMNSHO...

[gratuitous]

5. The usual Republican game

Don't like the outcome? Change the rules. Or bribe the officials. Or just out-and-out cheat. Nothing new at all, except the fact that someone noticed.

[Supersedeas]

6. Dumbing down the News by contributing to both parties?

[yorkiemommie1]

9. down deep they know which party

is closer to the truth.

plus they want to toady to both sides.

[maddezmom]

11. perhaps this is daddy's way of moving fav son Lachlan

back into the fold? :shrug:

[htuttle]

10. Murdoch to Dems: "Please allow me to introduce myself..."

"...I'm a man of wealth and taste...."

[VegasWolf]

12. Sounds more like News Corp. switches on the money for DINO Dems. nt

[charlie]

13. I'm always struck

(and depressed) by how small the amounts invariably are. If you've got a credit card, you can afford to buy a Senator's vote.