News Corp unveils logo that pays homage to Murdochs

The news-based News Corp business that will encompass the existing conglomerate's publishing interests when it splits into two at the end of June will adopt a logo based on the handwriting of Rupert Murdoch and his father, Keith.

The TV and film businesses, which will be part of a separate publicly traded company called 21st Century Fox, will sport a different emblem based on two spotlights shining upwards.

The logo for the new News Corp –whose assets will include The Times and The Sun newspapers in the UK, along with the existing conglomerate's book publishing and Australian pay-TV and cable entities – was revealed as the company hosted a New York event to introduce investors to the new business.

"The name is historic and the script [for the logo] is based on the writing of Rupert and his father, who have provided us all with not only a name, but a remarkable professional platform," Robert Thomson, the chief executive of the new publishing company, announced in an internal email first obtained by the media blog jimromenesko.com.

Last week, as the directors of the existing conglomerate approved the split, it was announced that Mr Murdoch and his sons, James and Lachlan, will assume board-level positions at both companies. At 21st Century Fox, the 82-year-old businessman will serve as chairman and chief executive, while at the new News Corp, he will be the company's executive chairman.

The split follows the phone-hacking scandal that led to the closure of The News of the World, which was part of the group's UK newspaper arm, in 2011.