Murdoch's pay

Of course it's a lot - but I've seen a lot higher this year. Proxy materials released today show that the chairman and CEO of News Corp. picked up $32.1 million in compensation for the year ended June 30 (most of it in salary and bonus). Peter Chernin, president and COO, received $34 million. As for perks, Murdoch's personal use of corporate aircraft was valued at $337,427 - not altogether out of line for someone who has business interests all over the world. His personal use of a company car was a measly 12 grand (compared with $148,579 for Fox Chairman Roger Ailes). And Murdoch doesn't list any expenses for security or country club memberships (can you even imagine this guy at a country club?). There's already grousing from the WSJ camp about these predictably high numbers (and how Journal editorial folks deserve more money now that Murdoch is their new boss). But let's offer some perspective: Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo, whose company caused heartache for untold numbers of homeowners and arguably helped create the current subprime mess, raked in $142 million last year. Murdoch can't top that.