2010 Awardee Profiles

Rupert Murdoch is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of News Corporation, one of the world’s largest diversified media companies.  News Corporation’s global operations include leading news brands and information services; significant cable, television, and satellite operations; major motion picture and television production and distribution operations; and extensive book publishing and digital ventures.

In 1954, Mr. Murdoch took control of News Limited, an Australian-based public corporation whose only key asset was a newspaper in South Australia.  In 1960, the company acquired the Daily Mirror in Sydney, and in 1964 launched a national newspaper, The Australian.

The company began acquiring newspapers in the United Kingdom in 1969, and in the 1980s purchased The Times and Sunday Times and HarperCollins Publishers.  Today News Corporation’s publishing interests include The New York Post and, following the company’s acquisition of Dow Jones & Company in 2007, The Wall Street Journal.

News Corporation purchased Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation in 1985 and the studio has since produced many award-winning films, including the two top-grossing films of all time: Titanic and Avatar.  The following year, the company created the Fox Television Stations group, followed by FOX Broadcasting Company, FOX Sports, FOX News Channel, and several other popular cable channels.

News Corporation’s satellite broadcasting interests include British Sky Broadcasting, Italy’s SKY Italia, Germany’s Sky Deutschland, and Asia’s STAR service.

Mr. Murdoch has been awarded the Companion of the Order of Australia (A.C.) for services to the media and to newspaper publishing in particular.  Mr. Murdoch is married and has six children.

Kyle E. McSlarrow began his tenure as President and CEO of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) in March 2005.  In this role, Mr. McSlarrow is the cable industry’s primary public policy advocate in Washington, D.C., and represents the industry’s interests before Congress, the Federal Communications Commission, and the Administration.

Mr. McSlarrow was appointed in 2007 to serve on the President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC).   The NSTAC informs and advises the President on telecommunications issues affecting national security and emergency preparedness.

Prior to joining NCTA, Mr. McSlarrow served as the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy, an agency with more than 100,000 federal and contract employees, 17 national labs, and a budget of $23 billion.  Before that, Mr. McSlarrow served as Vice President of Political and Government Affairs for Grassroots.com, a privately held Internet company.

Among his numerous positions in the political arena, Mr. McSlarrow was National Chairman of the Quayle 2000 Presidential Campaign.  Prior to that he served as Chief of Staff for Sen. Paul Coverdell, and earlier as Deputy Chief of Staff and Chief Counsel for Senate Majority Leaders Bob Dole and Trent Lott.

Before moving to Capitol Hill in 1995, Mr. McSlarrow was an associate with the Hunton & Williams law firm in Washington.  As a U.S. Army Captain, he served from 1985 to 1989 as Assistant to the General Counsel of the Army.  Mr. McSlarrow earned degrees from Cornell University and the University of Virginia School of Law.