Fresh Air How Rupert Murdoch built an empire and broke his family
28 snips
Feb 3, 2026 
Sam Fragoso, interviewer and podcaster, talks with Gabriel Sherman, investigative journalist and author of Bonfire of the Murdochs. They trace Rupert Murdoch’s succession choice, the $1.1 billion buyouts that split his children, and how one man’s drive to build a family business reshaped media, politics, and his own family.
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Siblings With Different Roles
- The four eldest Murdoch children developed distinct roles: Prudence stayed private, Elizabeth proved herself in business, Lachlan was the golden but reluctant child, and James became a rebel.
- Sibling rivalry played out in competitive childhood games and later in corporate fights.
Tabloid DNA And Control Mechanism
- Rupert adopted his father's tabloid-first philosophy: "a newspaper is to be made to pay."
- He then protected control through special stock to avoid his father's fate as an employee pushed aside.
Testing Tabloid Tactics In Texas
- Murdoch tested sensational tabloid tactics in regional U.S. papers like San Antonio to prove they boost circulation.
- That playbook scaled into later properties including the New York Post and Fox News.
