Murdoch Calls FCC Bluff With Newsday Move

Rupert Murdoch is betting new federal standards limiting media ownership to one TV station and one newspaper (per market) won't keep him from buying a fifth New York outlet. The mogul has long held waivers to control media in excess of the rules, and he doesn't think recent enforcement pledges will stop him from winning permission to own Newsday, the Times reports.

Democratic lawmakers are meanwhile trying to restore more stringent standards, and are even holding up Murdoch’s acquisition-happy habits as an exemplar of what needs avoiding. In applying for permission to own WNYW- and WWOR-TV, the New York Post, the Wall Street Journal and Newsday all at once, News Corp. will argue that a struggling industry need deep pockets. (More Rupert Murdoch stories.)