Elisabeth Murdoch is joining the family firm after selling her TV company Shine, so who now is the heir apparent?

Gaurdian
Peter Preston

Suppose that, when the sad moment comes, Prince Charles does not become king exactly, more chief royal family board member responsible for horticulture and long speeches. Suppose Princess Anne is appointed executive officer for ribbon-cutting and hand-shaking, Andrew is confirmed as head of international travel and Edward director of communications and media awareness. Then what would we say? What a wonky, frail old carve-up. What a recipe for strife and feuding at The Firm.

And so, just over the pond, to a family more powerful than anything the Windsors can contrive as Elisabeth Murdoch, having sold her Shine for £415m, joins brothers James and Lachlan and her old dad, Rupert, on the News Corp board (with third wife Wendi and two more little Murdochs hovering in the ante-chamber). Who will inherit when another sad moment comes? The theory is that all shall have prizes, everyone will be blessed somehow or other, peace will reign supreme. But if you believe that, you have not been watching The Tudors.

 Sky News is the Royal Television Societys News Channel of the Year for the second year running, and Skys Alex Crawford is the societys TV Journalist of the Year. Awards that are worth mentioning as Skys future control - and perhaps a future of any sort - emerges ever more starkly as the hinge of the deal that will either give Rupert Murdoch full control of BSkyB again - or leave New Corp stuck in prolonged Competition Commission mud. Judges from rival outfits may not love all Murdochian works; but they obviously respect Sky News, and the plurality it provides 24-hours round the clock.