Murdoch: Ignorant consultants responsible for News Corp’s financial woes
News Corp boss Rupert Murdoch has blamed consultants for the collapse in the company’s Australian revenues.
Figures released by the company in September revealed that revenues from its Australian newspapers had dropped by $350m, a fall of 15 per cent.
The fall came during the short tenure of Kim Williams who abruptly left the company shortly before the numbers were revealed. New CEO Julian Clarke has already moved to reverse many of the changes to the centralised advertising sales structure put in place by Williams.
Ignorant consultants, eh? Shock, horror.
And we’ve suffered exactly the same punishment. Every decision made as a result of Bain has been disastrous. Greatest commentary by a media publisher in some time.
Don’t be silly!
Paying a recent graduate $800 per hour to copy out MBA training manual always works.
The first rule of business is to remove all consultants!
At least he calls it the way he sees it along with most of us.
Media is not a game you can easily box in bubble charts and six sigma.
Its a gut feel game
Of Course!! It was the consultants what dunnit!! I guess consultants must be responsible for the equally parlous state of every other newspaper business around the world. I’m no fan of consultants, but remains to be seen whether these “experienced managers” (aka newspaper editors) are able to do any better. Weren’t these “experienced managers” all in charge over the past 10 years when the global newspaper industry collectively fell off a cliff…….??
Consultants, uumm hired guns. Shoot from the hip, charge like a wounded bull.
A bit like the ignorant opinions that Murdoch ‘journalists’ dished out. Same repercussions.
Snoop, Fairfax person you’re both absolute epsilons if you think that the woes of the global publishing industry are because of consultants.
You hired them, you putz!
Their observations that you are bleeding money and need to reduce your cost base DRAMTICALLY should have been made and implemented by previous generations of managers… that you also hired.
Putz.
Perhaps it was the erosion of the traditional classifieds business that used to prop up the editorial side of the business as a benevolent benefactor?
So sad to hear NewsCorp is back on track.
A world without Rupert’s influence is one with hope for the future.
So where were those fantastic experienced managers when the wheels were falling off, then?
Hang on… how is it that Rupert Murdoch is a business genius who calls all the shots within his empire… until he doesn’t? Please don’t tell me he was completely unaware that Kim Williams had been appointed and was bringing in Bain & Co? Or that he was oblivious to the fact that they were then getting rid of hundreds of staff and closing bureaus and offices around Australia?
Sorry, Rupert doesn’t miss things like that.
Maybe it’s just good PR to cry crocodile tears now that the bottom line looks so much better – and all those journos and other staff are out of work.
My dear old Mum used to say that the intelligence and ability used to halve with each generation. I think she was being sarcastic. Wish she was alive to see how her saying was playing out.
I wish I were alive and playing
Consultants are always a sign of lost leadership. It is that simple.
I agree with Rupert only partly here…..surely senior managers have been across this as much as anybody else…..most I these people are still there I presume??