• Los Angeles Times, Thursday, November 9, 2006 12 PM

In the past, James Murdoch, son of billionaire media mogul Rupert, always seemed slightly uncomfortable as the chief executive of British Sky Broadcasting. Known for his verbal sparring with other media executives at industry conferences, he earned himself a reputation as the angry man of British TV.

Those who know him say he has talent and intelligence, and he seems to have come into his own thanks to the era of media convergence--the merging of broadcasting, telecommunication and the Internet. For the last few years, shareholders talked about the "Murdoch discount" on the stock, despite healthy growth in profit and revenue. James' appointment caused concern three years ago--but the grumbling subsided in the face of BSkyB's strong performance, when many media companies are hurting. Growth has remained steady, with last year's operating profit up 7% on an 8% rise in revenue and the latest annual dividend increasing by one-third.

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