The following message was sent Friday morning to Dow Jones & Co. employees by incoming CEO Les Hinton, who will take over next week after News Corp. acquires the owner of The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones Newswires and Barron’s:
“To all Dow Jones staff;
“Some of you will already know that I am to become chief executive officer of Dow Jones & Company next week once the acquisition by News Corporation is complete.
“First, I want tell you how thrilled I am. I also want you to know that, even after a lifetime in the media, I have never faced a more exhilarating challenge.
“Dow Jones has a great history and a great future as part of the News Corp. group of companies.
“You will become part of what is, in many ways, a very different company to Dow Jones. However, News Corp.’s ambitions are just the same: to create and grow media properties that will thrive in the years ahead.
“Under Rupert Murdoch’s leadership, News Corp. has built itself through a readiness to challenge the odds and make radical, innovative decisions. Its principal resource, as with Dow Jones, is the energy and imagination of its people.
“For the last 12 years, I have been executive chairman of News International in the UK. NI is the country’s largest publisher of national newspapers, with more than 10 million readers each day. It has many of the same challenges and opportunities as Dow Jones, and we will gain a lot by sharing ideas and working together.
“Meanwhile, there are many people for me to meet and there is much for me to learn. I look forward to working with you in the years ahead and seeing as many of you as possible in the coming weeks.”
