News Corp. Names Former Disney Exec Arthur Bochner Communications Chief As Jim Kennedy To Retire

Jill Goldsmith
·2 min read
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News Corp today announced that veteran communications executive Arthur Bochner is set to become chief communications officer and EVP at News Corp. when Jim Kennedy retires later this year.

Bochner spent nearly a decade at Disney, most recently overseeing strategic communications. He served as chief of staff in Bob Chapek’s Office of the CEO after holding communications roles at the consumer products and theme park segments. He left Disney in 2022 amid an exodus following Chapek’s exit and Bob Iger’s return.

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Bochner previously held communications positions at Bloomberg, Citigroup and FD Public Affairs.

“Arthur has vast and valuable experience at the highest levels of business and government, which will enable him to play a vital role in News Corp’s continuing growth,” said News Corp. CEO Robert Thomson. “With a strategic sensibility, savvy messaging skills, and a collaborative character, Arthur is a worthy successor to our friend and colleague, Jim Kennedy, as he transitions to a well-deserved retirement this year.”

Bochner starts this month, working with Kennedy and his team during a transition. He will move from Los Angeles to New York with his family and be based at News Corp’s Avenue of the Americas headquarters.

“News Corp is home to some of the most iconic brands in media, and I am thrilled to join the company’s leadership team at this exciting time of transformation,” Bochner said.

Kennedy, who announced his retirement plans last fall, came to News Corp. in 2013 as the first communications chief after the company split from Fox. He’d previously worked in communications at Sony, Sony Pictures and Sony Corporation of America. Before that, he spent decades as a spokesman and speechwriter in Washington, Hollywood and New York, including for President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore in the White House, and headed communications for Senators Hillary Clinton and Joe Lieberman and the Clinton Foundation.

“Jim has been a constant source of sagacity and helped define the epochal issues confronting all media,” said Thomson. “His commitment to protecting and projecting journalism and content creation was crucial as we engaged the digital platforms. News Corp is the global leader in the digital debate and Jim has been absolutely crucial in fashioning our successful strategy.”

“This post at News Corp marks the longest I have spent in one job in one place, and that has only been possible thanks to the people I work for and with. I deeply appreciate having had the chance to serve Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch and my beneficent boss, Robert Thomson,” said Kennedy. “My small-but-mighty team and I are excited to partner with Arthur in the months ahead.”

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