Sorry Herald, Murdoch Isn’t Interested in the Globe

Photo via World Economic Forum on Flickr

When asked if he’d be interested in purchasing the Boston Globe from the New York Times Co., Rupert Murdoch told Variety’s deputy editor Cynthia Littleton on the Oscars red carpet, “Emphatically, no,” so thus ends speculation on what would have been, at the very least, an entertaining ownership transfer for the Globe.

The Boston Herald notes glumly that this would have been a long shot, anyway, given that Murdoch owns a local TV station and so possession of a newspaper would put him in violation of federal rules, a little hiccup that they forgot to mention in at least one article on the subject back when they were a main source of Murdoch speculation. The Herald is, of course, a former News Corp. paper itself, and its reporters seemed quite tickled by the idea of Murdoch in charge at the Globe because they ran two stories about the idea, noting a Wall Street Journal report that the New York Times Co. wanted to see a bid from Murdoch and then quoting Michael Wolff, a Murdoch biographer and media critic, at length about the likelihood that he’d be interested. (Not particularly on the money, there, Wolff.)

And so, another dream dies at the Boston Herald. Back to photoshopping storm clouds over Morrissey Blvd. with you.