News Corp. to Name Robert Thomson CEO of Publishing Company

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. plans to name Robert Thomson, managing editor of The Wall Street Journal and editor in chief of Dow Jones, to the post of CEO of the publishing company it plans to create next year.

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The Wall Street Journal reported the conglomerate could appoint him as early as next week. A News Corp. spokesman declined to comment.

News Corp. is planning to separate the publishing company from its entertainment assets, including its film studio, the Fox broadcast network and its cable networks.

Gerard Baker, currently Thomson's deputy, is likely to succeed him as managing editor of The Wall Street Journal, the paper reported.

News Corp. has always said that Murdoch would remain chairman and CEO of the entertainment company, as well as chairman of the publishing group.

Like Murdoch, Thomson was born in Australia. The publishing arm will include the conglomerate's TV assets in Australia.

Thomson began his career in 1979 as a reporter at The Herald in Melbourne and later worked as a journalist in Asia. He later served as editor of the U.S. edition of the Financial Times and then editor of the Times of London. He became editor of the Journal and editor in chief of Dow Jones in 2008 after News Corp.'s acquisition of Dow Jones.

Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com
Twitter: @georgszalai