Rupert makes it official

The news from Australia this morning: News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch told shareholders that he intends to remove the subscriber wall from WSJ.com, one of the only successful subscription news sites in the world.

His bet: the increased ad revenue that comes along with increased visitors will pay off.

"We are studying it and we expect to make that free, and instead of having one million (subscribers), having at least 10 million-15 million in every corner of the earth," Murdoch told the AP.

Think he's right?

Which site would you like to see make the move next?

-JACKIE SAUTER, Multimedia Editor

Not so fast, Rupert!

Before the ink on the contracts had dried and long before journalism’s purists stopped gnashing their teeth, word came Wednesday from the Federal Communications Commission that Rupert Murdoch’s purchase of The Wall Street Journal is still not a done deal.

Commissioner Michael J. Copps — not to be confused with 1980s television icon Michael J. Fox — issued a statement saying the deal needs to be reviewed by the FCC.

“This deal means more media consolidation and fewer independent voices, and it specifically impacts the local market in New York City,” Copp wrote.

He added, much to the delight of those decrying the purchase as a sign of the apocalypse, “What's good for shareholders of huge media conglomerates isn't always what's good for the public interest or our civic dialogue.”

Speaking of civic dialogue, what do you think?

-LOUIS LLOVIO, Daily Record Business Writer