Media moment steals the show

TELEVISION executives were chatting quietly when the news broke that Lachlan Murdoch was rejoining his father at News Corp.

Mark Scott

SHOULDER to shoulder at the back of the Great Hall in Parliament House, the nation's most powerful television executives were chatting quietly, sipping white wine and rose champagne when the news broke that Lachlan Murdoch was rejoining his father at News Corp.

At once, Nine's David Gyngell, Seven's Tim Worner, Ten's Hamish McLennan and Seven commercial director Bruce McWilliam checked their emails and texts. They looked at each other.

And everyone stopped listening to Free TV chairman Harold Mitchell's speech.

"It was hilarious, wasn't it?" said McLennan, the only person in the room who knew the announcement was imminent. (With Murdoch's departure as Ten chairman to become co-chairman of News Corp and 21st Century Fox, McLennan was elevated from chief executive to executive chairman.)

"I was standing next to (Ten Network sales director) Lou Barrett and I think Harold was actually speaking and then everyone was looking at their BlackBerries and their iPhones, so it was pretty funny really," he said, "Tim and David were joking -- they said it sets a good precedent for them."

McLennan said he was thrilled. "There have been lots of congratulations. People are excited for me, which is terrific, and I think they're excited for Lachlan too."

The news took only minutes to spread through the 300 media types, A-list celebrities, soapie stars and politicians, including Ita Buttrose, Tara Brown from 60 Minutes and Sunrise's David Koch, who were gathered for a function celebrating digital free-to-air television.

"It was a media moment," said ABC chief executive Mark Scott, minutes after the announcement. "The news electrified the room and bubbled through the speeches. The nation's media executives were half-listening to the speeches and half-tuned in to their mobile phones."

Worner said Murdoch had proven himself an executive with foresight and acumen in the Australian media marketplace. "Someone whispered to me what had happened," he said. "For Lachlan, good on him, it's great to see someone rise up through the ranks, he's done amazing things in our marketplace in Australia and I'm very confident he'll do the same on a global level."

Gaming mogul James Packer, who once controlled the Nine Network, praised his friend's appointment. "It's an outstanding achievement and Lachlan is truly deserving," he said.

"He has great character and business acumen and will do a wonderful job for the company."