Who Rupert Murdoch Had On Speed Dial

Posted by: Jon Fine on April 10, 2008

Many stories are told by many random objects on display at the Newseum—which I was fortunate enough to spend a few hours at yesterday, in advance of its official opening on April 11.

One of them is the phone Rupert Murdoch recently used for a few years, believe it or not, complete with an more-or-less-alphabetized speed dial list. (Judging from the execs listed on it, it looks like the list was last updated in 2005.)

Much of that list is reproduced after the jump, absent a few names I couldn’t properly make out through the display case.

Trivia-on-top-of-trivia: Most everyone was identified by last name only, with the exception of his family. His children appear as James, Lachlan, and Lis. As for the two listings for WDM, I’m gonna go way out on a limb and surmise they’re for his wife, Wendi Deng Murdoch.

Among a list understandably studded with News Corp executives and operating heads, it’s interesting to find New York Post editor (and longtime Murdoch confidant) Col Allan.

At any rate, below you can find what I could make out of Murdoch’s speed dial, expanded to include their full names and current or former titles.

Roger Ailes: President, Fox News Channel
Col Allan: Editor, New York Post
David Hill: President of Direct TV
Tarak Ben Anmar: Tunisian financier/movie producer
Mark Booth: chief executive officer, bSkyb
Chase Carey (both in Los Angeles and New York): President-CEO, DirecTV
Peter Chernin: President-Chief Operating Officer, News Corp
Preston Beckman: Executive Vice-President for strategic planning, Fox
David Devoe, Chief Financial Officer, News Corp.
Jim Gianopoulus: President, 20th Century Fox Films
Gary Ginsberg: Executive Vice-President, News Corp.
Les Hinton: Chairman, News International; now CEO, Dow Jones
James Murdoch (twice)
Lachlan Murdoch
Elisabeth Murdoch
Lawrence “Lon” Jacobs: Senior Executive Vice President/Group General Counsel, News Corp
Mark Jung: former Chief Executive Officer of IGN
Peter Levinsohn, former Fox President of Digital Media, current head of Fox Interactive Media
Jon Nesvig: President of Sales, Fox Broadcasting
Tom Rothman: Co-Chairman, Fox Filmed Entertainment
Ross Levinsohn: former President, Fox Interactive Media
Peter Liguori: President, Fox Broadcasting Company
Robert Thomson: Publisher, Wall Street Journal; former editor, Times of London
Wendi Deng Murdoch
Tony Vinciquerra: President-CEO, Fox Networks Group
Jeremy Phillips: SVP, Office of the Chairman, News Corp.

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Reader Comments

George

April 11, 2008 11:57 AM

Trivia is an understatement. Whom did you expect to find on his speed-dial? I'm sure the reporter was hoping to discover that Murdoch had a local Chinese restaurant or a call-boy service on his list. But in the end, WHO CARES anyway?

Jesse

April 11, 2008 01:16 PM

I agree. This story is ridiculously stupid and pointless.

Don

April 11, 2008 02:29 PM

What's pointless is visiting Washington, DC during Cherry Blossom week Jon! How insane was that?!

Miss Havisham

April 11, 2008 07:50 PM

Was the Ailes button worn down to the nub?

Were there any greasy traces of Vegimite on the receiver? Hairs possibly belonging to Mel Gibson, or even more damning, leftover parts of (gasp)Greta Van SUSTEREN's face!?!!

Neil

April 13, 2008 11:23 AM

What about Sean Hannity?

ROGER

April 14, 2008 03:09 AM

THE AUTHOR ALWAYS WRITE SOMETHING INTERESTING AT THE BEGAINNING OF THIS ARTICLE SO I KEEP READING HIS ARTICLE. SO , SEEMS THIS IS ONLY A HALF ARTICLE ABOUT THE TOPIC HE PLANNED TO WRITE. I EXPECTED HE WILL UPDATE THIS SHORT ONE ABOUT WHO ARE THOSE GUYS AND WHAT'S THE CONSPIRACY STORY ABOUT THEM AND MUDOCH.

guy

April 14, 2008 11:59 AM

What a miserable bunch of worthy old cretins you lot are. This is by far the most interesting thing I've read all day

Jude Wright

April 15, 2008 09:07 AM

I love stuff like this. It gives insights into RM's day. It tells us a lot about the guy, especially the connection to the Tunisian film procuer, an entry that surprised me and should be investigated - in a good way. Why is that guy on the list? What the list tells us is that RM is just an ordinary bloke. Nothing overwhelmingly surprising. A very vanilla list.

My speed dial includes my favorite Chinese restaurant (May Jen), my favorite pizza place (Pepe's), my sisters and brothers and parents, loads of friends, the woman who cuts my hair, the editors to whom I send my stories, and the local art cinema. For the record, I'm in Buffalo, New York.

Thomas Chambers

September 16, 2008 07:28 PM

As one of the leaders of the 4th reight (sp), how can any patriotic American buy ANY of his CRAP?

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