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Redstone, Murdoch Share Similar Profiles

Viacom's Sumner Redstone and News Corp.'s Rupert Murdoch are both sons of strong women, and have both have sparred publicly with their heirs. And both are plotting to conquer China while viewing immortality as the best succession plan. But what really unites the two is that they can do as they please--a rarity among heads of public companies these days. Redstone and Murdoch are of a line of autocratic media titans in the mold of Ted Turner, Henry Luce and William Randolph Hearst. Their power comes not just from their controlling stakes in the companies they built, but from an inclination to use it. "The amazing thing is that when Rupert says 'Let's do it,' everyone drops everything to focus on whatever he wants," says one News Corp. executive. "It's like an army that can turn on a dime." As the digital revolution is overturning old-media business models and new threats and opportunities are materializing at video-game speed, a leader's ability to act boldly and unilaterally--without having to consult lawyers, directors or Wall Street--can be a powerful advantage.

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