Boris Johnson’s sister claims that Rupert Murdoch said to him, “Get rid of the BBC”, during a visit at the country residence of Prime Minister.
Rachel Johnson claimed Mr Johnson ‘dandled Wilfred Johnson on his knees at Chequers’ as he presented the case against scrapping funding for the license fee-funded media outlet.
Miss Johnson (56), a broadcaster at the LBC radio station said this week that the BBC’s long-term survival would be a ‘growing struggle’ due to the competition from streaming services and other subscription services.
She stated that part of the pressure came from Mr Murdoch (90), who made the argument that the corporation was an omen to competition.
Boris Johnson’s sister claimed Rupert Murdoch told him (pictured) to “get rid of BBC” during his visit to Prime Minister’s country home.
Miss Johnson stated that the BBC would be present in ten years.
‘But it is going to be an increasing struggle when the whole of the television story is about streaming and subscription, to have the BBC which costs £4billion to run, which gets £3billion in from the licence fee, to have that entity as a competitor.
“Especially with Rupert Murdoch coming to Chequers, and telling my brother as he dances Wilf, “Boris, you’ve got got to get rid the BBC. It’s eating my lunch. They got a website. It is clear that pressures come from every direction.
Downing Street will not discuss details. According to a spokesperson, ministers must declare all meetings with top media executives in the ‘quarterly transparency returns’. This year, it was revealed that Murdoch had met Johnson three times, his youngest son being born in April 2020. Transparency data from the Government shows that they met for a general discussion on September 18, 2013.
Rachel Johnson, 56, is a radio presenter at the LBC. She told this industry conference that the BBC’s long-term survival would be a ‘growing struggle’ in the face of streaming and subscription competition.
Also, it had been reported that they held a “social meeting” in September 2019. This was the same day Johnson revealed that he would be seeking to have a general election should his Brexit plans fail. They did not disclose the location.
The UK empire of Murdoch includes The Sun and Sunday Times, as well as The Sun and Sunday Times. The Wireless Group operates radio stations such as Virgin Radio and Talkradio and HarperCollins.
News UK plans to launch talkTV in the next year. Piers Morgan has been signed as its star host.
Miss Johnson said that Radiocentre’s Tuning in event should be a platform where British producers are encouraged to share British stories with British audiences, so it can sell internationally.
News UK spokesmen said last night that “the supposed quote is absurd.” We all know that we have been focusing on the threat from the large digital platforms to small and medium publishers.
News UK will launch a new TV channel, talkTV in the next year. It has Piers Morgan signed on as its star presenter