DirecTV in the News

McCain Questions Murdoch DirecTV Takeover

LONDON (Reuters) --May 10, 2001--  U.S. Senator John McCain believes American authorities should look closely at the proposed takeover of U.S. satellite television service DirecTV by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.

The paper quoted McCain, a Republican who chairs the Senate commerce committee, as saying the planned acquisition could result in "a consolidation of power the likes of which this country has not seen since William Randolph Hearst."

McCain, an outspoken critic of Hollywood studios, said he had the greatest respect for Murdoch. "Don't get me wrong. I'm not judging his character. I'm just saying we should look at this very carefully."

Murdoch is looking to buy General Motors Corp's stake in Hughes Electronics Corp, the parent company of DirecTV. Murdoch's Sky Global Networks would take control of the merged satellite network, according to reports. On May 2, General Motors said it had approved further talks to merge Hughes with Murdoch's satellite network.