Murdoch survives attempt to oust him A GROUP of disgruntled shareholders has failed to oust Rupert Murdoch as chairman of his new TV and film conglomerate 21st Century Fox. At the company's annual general meeting in Los Angeles on Friday, Murdoch, his sons Lachlan and James, and other members of the company's 12-person board were elected. Murdoch, 82, was never in real danger of losing his role as chairman to an independent candidate as the Murdoch family controls about 40 per cent of the company's voting rights. However, the disgruntled shareholders, who point to the phone hacking scandal at Murdoch's former British tabloid News of the World, have collected significant support. At a similar vote last year approximately two-thirds of independent shareholders voted in favour of an independent chairman, they said. This year's vote count will be made public later Friday. "For the board to ignore such an overwhelming shareholder mandate we believe shows a disregard not only for shareholders, but also corporate governance," Tim Shayer, an investment adviser for Christian Brothers Investment Services, which led the call for Murdoch to be replaced by an independent chairman, told the AGM. While some steps have been taken to address phone hacking, the company will continue to be closely associated with the scandal because of the upcoming trials of those charged with illegal activity, the ongoing criminal investigations and the allegations of secret recordings. 21st Century Fox board member Viet Dinh, speaking on behalf of the board, refuted this. He said 69 of the top 100 publicly traded companies in the US had a combined chairman-CEO. "The combined chairman-CEO role ensures strong and consistent leadership of the company with the clarity of vision and effectiveness of leadership and appropriate accountability that has defined the company the last 50 years," Dinh told the AGM. Murdoch's News Corp media empire was split into two companies earlier this year, with 21st Century Fox holding its vast TV and film assets. The new News Corp is largely comprised of Australian, US and UK newspaper titles. Murdoch told the AGM 21st Century Fox's opportunities going forward were "extraordinary."