Hosted by award-winning journalist and author of The Successor, Paddy Manning, the six-part series unpacks Rupert Murdoch’s rise from running a small newspaper in Adelaide to his reign as the last global media mogul.

Throughout the podcast, Manning will trace the biggest moments of Murdoch’s career so as to answer a central question: what drives Rupert Murdoch? Is it money, power or something else?

Manning interviews people from all chapters of Murdoch’s life, from his closest allies to some of his worst enemies. He speaks to former prime ministers, childhood friends and media executives who served under him. He finds a lost novel of Murdoch’s early years, written by his first great editor – a kind of 1950s Succession.

“There are stories that keep on giving… and then there’s the life of Rupert Murdoch,” Manning says. “No Australian comes close in terms of global influence, controversy or impact, and it’s not over yet.”

Produced by the team behind leading news podcast 7am, Rupert: The Last Mogul provides listeners with a comprehensive look at how Murdoch has managed to build his empire while weathering scandal after scandal.

Schwartz Media’s head of audio Sarah McVeigh says: “With Rupert Murdoch’s reign coming to an end, it’s important the public takes an in-depth look at how he became the media’s most powerful man, and what the implications of his decisions will be for the future of the press and democracies around the world.”

The podcast is the latest part to Manning’s leading reportage on the Murdoch family, which includes the only biography of Lachlan Murdoch, The Successor: The High-Stakes Life of Lachlan Murdoch.

Schwartz Media’s editor-in-chief Erik Jensen says: “Paddy Manning is the country’s keenest reporter of Rupert Murdoch, and this is the definitive story of what drives Murdoch and how he has driven the world.”

Rupert: The Last Mogul will be available on Apple, Spotify, LiSTNR and all other podcast apps.

About Paddy Manning, host
Paddy Manning is the author of several award-winning books, including biographies of Malcolm Turnbull and Nathan Tinkler. During more than 25 years in journalism, he has worked for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian Financial Review and The Australian, and has won several awards for journalistic excellence. His book Body Count won the 2021 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Nonfiction. His latest book is The Successor: The High-Stakes Life of Lachlan Murdoch.

About Cheyne Anderson, lead producer
Cheyne Anderson is a long-form producer who brings a passion for narrative to award-winning podcasts such as Who’s Gonna Save Us?, Patient Zero, Sirens Are Coming and The Eleventh. She got her start in true crime with Walkley-nominated Unravel: Barrenjoey Road, and has since been hopping across genres and reporting features for This is About, Days Like These, Earshot and Full Story. She joined the 7am team in 2022.

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