What happens after Rupert Murdoch?

Orderly, understated and out of a clear blue sky. From a comms point of view, Rupert Murdoch’s retirement bombshell was more The Waltons than Succession: a family love-in that truly marked the end of an era.

There won’t be another Rupert Murdoch. There won’t be another risk-taking entrepreneur who’ll put their time and money where their mouth is, in support of newspapers in the way Rupert did for more than 70 years. The question those who work on those newspapers will now be asking, of course, will be: ‘How long have we got?’ When it comes to the printed page, Rupert’s departure will accelerate the inevitable countdown of doom. Yes, Lachlan is a news man, like his father. But he’s also a pragmatist. There will be no room for romance in the decisions he now has ahead of him.

I’ve long since dropped off Rupert’s Christmas card list and have not been in touch for many years, but I still feel grateful that my working life overlapped for a couple of decades with his.