Rupert Murdoch's News Corp Launches Global Service To Link All Its Outlets

By Stephen Brook
guardian.co.uk

NewsCore system will make content from all company's TV stations, papers and sites instantly available to the rest.

News Corporation is launching a global service that will make all its news stories and videos instantly available to its entire network of TV, print and online news outlets.

The service, called NewsCore, will operate like a global wire service for all the company's newspapers, TV networks and websites.

News Corp is describing the venture as a "21st-century multi-media information service that will draw on the worldwide news and sports resources within News Corporation and make them available to other News properties everywhere".

"When Sky News reports that Gordon Brown has called an election, everyone in the NWS family can run with it. When TG24 learns that Vesuvius has blown its top again, everyone in NewsCorp will have it. Immediately. And from a source we can trust – us," said an internal briefing obtained by MediaGuardian.co.uk.

The NewsCore service, approved by the News Corp chairman and chief executive, Rupert Murdoch, will scan the company's electronic story queues, satellite feeds and websites and make all the content available to company newsrooms around the planet. NewsCore will distribute text, video, audio and citizen journalism around the world in real time.

NewsCore will be based in New York and is hiring journalists for that city, London and Asia.

The UK operation will be based at BSkyB's headquarters in Osterley. MediaGuardian.co.uk understands that a launch date for the project has not been set.

News Corp is one of the largest media companies in the world, with a network of more than 30 TV and cable networks, including Sky News, Fox News and Star TV and more than 20 newspapers including the Times, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post and the Australian, as well as 18 web-only properties.

In April News Corp moved John Moody, the former executive vice president of news editorial for Fox News, to head a new unit that would help "coordinate editorial assets".

Joining Moody in the venture are Mike Gutch, a former vice president finance at News America; Adam Birnbaum, technology and data executive; and Scott Norvell, formerly the Europe bureau chief for the Fox News.

News Corp declined to comment.

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