Murdoch Contemplates Splitting Up News Corp

After resisting investors' pressure for years, Rupert Murdoch is finally considering splitting his News Corp. media empire in two, dividing publishing and the company's other, more lucrative media units, reports the Wall Street Journal. The Murdoch family would likely maintain its control of both companies, similar to Sumner Redstone's division of Viacom in 2006.

Despite the high-profile scandals that have swirled around Murdoch and News Corp. for the past year, the move to split the company appears to be driven simply by profits, according to the Financial Times. The publishing divisions in News Corp. brought in one-quarter of the company's $23.5 billion in revenues in the year ending June 2011, but accounted for just 10% of its operating profits. (More Rupert Murdoch stories.)