News Corp.’s top mouthpiece exiting

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Gary Ginsberg, the communications chief for Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp., is leaving after almost 11 years in the job.

Ginsberg, whose official title was executive vice president of global marketing and corporate affairs, will be replaced by the well-regarded Teri Everett.

Although his job was corporate communications, Ginsberg cut a wide swath throughout the company. He had close ties to Murdoch and former News Corp. President Peter Chernin. He was, besides Chernin, the most visible Democrat in the company and his stint in the Clinton White House made him particularly valuable to the company on Capitol Hill. For example, he used his political ties to help News Corp. when it was in an ugly battle with Nielsen over new measurement systems the ratings service wanted to implement that the media giant worried would adversely effect its TV ratings.

Ginsberg’s relationship with the elite financial press also came in handy for Murdoch, particularly when News Corp. was buying the Wall Street Journal. He had tight relationships with many of the top editors at the paper that gave him a unique insight and access to the inner workings of the paper and made him a valuable resource for Murdoch during negotiations.

His departure was not a complete surprise and had been gossiped about both inside and outside the company for several months. While Ginsberg reported to both Murdoch and Chernin, he was seen as closer to the latter. Chernin left News Corp. earlier this year.

Whether Ginsberg’s stature inside the company and with Murdoch was hurt by Michael Wolff’s less-than-flattering Murdoch biography ‘The Man Who Owns The News’ will be what some are wondering. Wolff was given tremendous access to Murdoch and the inner workings of News Corp. for the book which when it came out caused headaches for Murdoch, Chernin and Fox News chief Roger Ailes among others.

Company insiders downplayed the idea that the Wolff book played any part in Ginsberg’s exit and for what its worth, News Corp. said Ginsberg would consult for Murdoch after he leaves the company at the end of the year.

-- Joe Flint