Rupert Murdoch's son James personally authorized a $1.1 million our-of-court settlement payment to Gordon Taylor, the CEO of the Professional Footballers' Association, after Taylor found out last year his phone had been illegally hacked by the Murdoch tabloid News of the World. Rupert Murdoch himself has said he had no idea this whole phone-tapping business, or the associated payoffs, were going on. Hmm. That seems to appear ever less likely.

The latest volley in the gentlemanly WSJ vs. NYT newspaper wars:

New York Times bonds, like many these days, are signaling substantial risk. The March 2015 notes are yielding 11%, or more than four times as much as "risk-free" bonds issued by the U.S. government. Anyone confident the Times can avoid bankruptcy within the next six years can simply borrow against their home at around 5.5%, invest the money at 11% and make themselves rich.
I wish them luck.

Oh yea? Well watch how you eat your words, WSJ, when...somebody else tries this. Anybody?

Everybody was worried that NBC's show "The Wanted," a laughable version of "To Catch a Predator" focused on catching terrorists or some shit, would irrevocably blur the lines of journalistic ethics and hurt NBC's "credibility," etc. Well, its premiere last night "was the least watched program on broadcast TV," so it's a moot point.

Here's an amusing little thing: Incisive Media boss Bill Pollak has a blog. The bureau chief from GlobeSt.com got called to active military duty in Afghanistan, so Pollak interviewed him, for the blog. His finest question: "I also couldn't help asking if he had anything to report about commercial real estate in Kabul for the benefit of his GlobeSt colleagues." Uhh. The response: "Well, I guess you could say that the occupancy could use some growth. It's at about 0%." Heh.

Anderson, a San Franciscan who has been described as "a whirlwind of American bonhomie in a linen suit," is the younger Murdoch's chief flack for News Corp's European and Asian divisions, and right now his chief job is to burnish his boss' reputation and make him seem a fit replacement for the beloved Peter Chernin, who stepped down last month as News Corp. president.

And if he succeeds—a likely outcome given the apparent unwillingness of Murdoch's sister and chief rival, Elizabeth, to give up her successful TV production company—he will almost certainly cross the pond to become News Corp.'s chief flack. Gary Ginsberg, the current holder of that title—is a Chernin loyalist who was already in a rocky political position after bearing the brunt of the blame for Rupert's cooperation with Michael Wolff's feather-ruffling book.

Anderson and Murdoch met when Anderson was working in Asia for the global PR shop Ogilvy, handling the account of British cable firm BSkyB, which Murdoch then ran. According to the British PR trade journal Campaign, the two worked together for four years and fast became "best friends." In 2005, Murdoch convinced Anderson to jump ship after fifteen years at Ogilvy and work for BSkyB; when Murdoch moved into News Corp proper to run Europe and Asia, Anderson followed suit.

Anderson specializes in the sort of political maneuvering that Rupert loves. After he hired British political consultant Tim Allan to manage BSkyB's relationship with Parliament, a leaked 2006 leaked memo from Allan to Anderson revealed their plans to curry favors with legislators and reporters by hosting them at seminars and dinners, as well as the proposed construction of a database to keep track of all BSkyB's contacts with government officials. Should Murdoch prevail, Anderson's approach ought to translate well to the States.

Also, he is a former Nevada state tennis champ.

While there is some speculation that Murdoch isn't ready to formally take the reins as his daddy's deputy and News Corp may temporarily install a seat-warmer while he preps, it's clear that business reporters will likely be spending a lot of phone time with Anderson in the coming months.

Chernin's contract expires in June, and he has a clause that allows him to become a well-paid producer on movies for the Fox studio he currently oversees. (The company now confirms his exit, as well as his plans to start a production company.) A convenient out for an untenable situation: Murdoch has always made it clear that he wanted to put one of his children in charge.

Why settle things now, with June some months away? It might have something to do with a story in today's New York Times questioning Murdoch's devotion to the newspaper business. News Corp.'s print holdings have weighed down results even as Chernin's Hollywood empire have steadily produced cash. It's not too difficult to read the story as an argument for why the Chernin (profitable) half of News Corp. is being dragged down by the Murdoch (sentimental) part.

Also, pointing out the dodgy performance of News Corp.'s newspapers is a veiled dig at the current dynastic frontrunner, James Murdoch. The 35-year-old executive oversees News Corp's businesses in Asia and Europe, including a large collection of newspapers, where he's been cutting costs in the name of "editorial efficiency."

Could the elder Murdoch have taken offense? If a squabble over the story was a factor, it can't have been the only one. But in a family business, work is always personal. And no media company inspires speculation about palace intrigue like News Corp.

Incidentally, the Murdoch imports at the Wall Street Journal continue to tread on the newspaper's delicate sensibilities. You'll remember Marcus Brauchli, the Journal's managing editor, had a speech ready to welcome his new overlords, but they never called on him. That was just the first humiliation.

The latest: Tina Gaudoin, who came in with the Journal's new publisher from Murdoch's Times of London, has talked of her plans for the business newspaper's new weekend magazine. The luxury title will cover modern wealth with wit and irreverence—which, says the Murdoch import, "may come as a shock to some of the people at the Journal.” Such diplomacy.

• Murdoch (James, but you take what you can get) vs. Branson. RELATED: This Times summary. [NYT]
  
• Philly papers accurately assess people's level of patience for them. [NYT]
  
• Sale of Reader's Digest a done deal. Mary Berner, waiting in the wings all the while, will be running the show. [MediaPost]
  
• The BBC and IBM do a deal to develop Web 3.0 technology, which is at least 1.0 more than we knew was available. [Guardian]
  
• Brian Williams' surprise trip to Baghdad has nothing to do with NBC Nightly News' declining ratings, okay? We'll let you know how the ratings were as soon as we hear. [NYT]
  
• Gender-equity specialist Dave Zinczenko to bring forth a female version of his Abs Diet bestseller. Expect this one to be longer and less satisfying. [WWD]
  
• Nice appreciation of Alexander Chancellor (The Spectator when it was good) from Geoffrey Wheatcroft. [Independent (U.K.)]