Murdoch Creating New App For iPad

Rupert Murdoch may be 79 years old, but that hasn't stopped the media baron from recognizing the potential power of wireless devices like the iPad. The LA Times is reporting that Murdoch's News Corp. is planning to release an new iPad-centric publication. The unnamed publication will be available as a paid app.

The as-yet-untitled project is expected to become available as an app download towards the end of the year. A iPhone/iPod touch version is also possible. Murdoch, whose Wall Street Journal is already available as an iPad app, is looking at different ways to generate revenue from digital media. This new project, according to the Times, would target "a more general readership, offering short, snappy stories that could be digested quickly." Although the publication would operate under the New York Post's managing editor, Jesse Angelo, content would be pulled from a number of sources. Says the Times:

Although it would draw the reporting resources of the Post and Dow Jones, Murdoch could potentially invest millions of dollars to staff the operation and charge a yet-to-be determined subscription fee. One person familiar with the plan said News Corp. envisions a staff of several dozen reporters and editors and that the budget has not yet been determined.

Journalists such as Murdoch have seen revenues for print newspapers and magazines fall in recent years. This is due in part to the emergence of the Internet and of wireless devices that appeal to younger readers. It will be interesting to see if Murdoch succeeds in his quest to charge for digital-specific content. So far, the public has been reluctant to pay for information it can find elsewhere for free.

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