Chairman and CEO, News Corp. (last year No. 2) NET WORTH $5.3
billion AGE 67 ADDRESS 1 Virginia Street, London E1 9XY, U.K. BIO In the past 40 years, Murdoch has created the very model of the
modern media mogul. He started in the '50s with a small daily
newspaper in Australia's hinterlands, and today leads one of the
world's largest media empires. From books (HarperCollins) to
television (Fox Broadcasting) and newspapers (New York Post,
Times of London) to movies (20th Century Fox), Murdoch has been
among the first to realize that the secret to success in modern
media is control of both content and distribution. 1998 POWER PLAY Murdoch's LineOne service is gunning to become the AOL of
Europe. This year it added cutting-edge technology from Autonomy
Agentware, which alerts members when articles of interest are
posted and helps advertisers target consumers. The piece of
Primestar Murdoch picked up this year also gives News Corp. an
important foothold in the American satellite-broadcast market. PLACE YOUR BETS With 40% of News Corp.'s voting shares in the
hands of the Murdoch clan, some of the most interesting betting
concerns who will carry on the family business after Rupert (the
smart money is on his 26-year-old heir apparent, son Lachlan).
That said, American shares of News Corp. are still up 70% in the
past year. Look out for a public offering of shares in the Fox
Group, which includes all of News Corp.'s film, television and
sports concerns. It is expected before the end of the year.
