News Corp. (NWS) Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch said Monday that Chase Carey - the chief executive of DirecTV Corp. (DTV) whom Murdoch recently re-hired to be a top lieutenant - is not necessarily his "heir apparent."

"We're not making any commitments on that at all," Murdoch said in a wide-ranging interview on News Corp.'s Fox Business Network with anchor Neil Cavuto.

Murdoch described Carey's job change as sort of a homecoming, as Carey was installed as head of DirecTV when it was majority-owned by News Corp. The company passed its stake in the satellite TV giant to John Malone's Liberty Media Corp. in an asset swap.

Carey comes back to replace Peter Chernin, News Corp.'s longtime president and chief operating officer, who is leaving the company when his contract expires at the end of June. His departure was viewed as a sign that Murdoch, whose family controls News Corp. through a dual-class share structure, may want one of his children to succeed him at the helm.

Carey will assume the same titles as Chernin, effective July 1. News Corp. said Carey is expected to join the company's board as deputy chairman.

In the interview, Murdoch was asked about last year's 55% decline in News Corp.'s stock price, where three-quarters of his personal wealth is invested. This year, News Corp.'s class A shares have recovered some losses, gaining 21% in 2009, above the 4% gain by the S&P 500.

"I don't know whether it's going to stay here or go higher," Murdoch said. "I try not to watch the stock and just watch the profits of the company."

News Corp. shares are down 11 cents Monday to $11.44.

He also responded to recent allegations made by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi that News Corp.'s Europe-based media outlets - like the Times of London newspaper - were disseminating negative coverage of him as payback for recent disagreements betweek the two men.

"I don't control what the editor of the Times of London does," Murdoch said, noting several media outlets not owned by News Corp. that have also been covering recent embarrassing episodes from Berlusconi's personal life. "He's quite wrong on that."

Murdoch accused Berlusconi of using his position in public office to damage News Corp.'s prospects in Italy with its satellite TV business, SkyItalia.

"He lowered taxes on all businesses except on satellite television, which he doubled," Murdoch said.

On the subject of the troubled publishing industry, Murdoch predicted that print newspapers would disappear within 10 years and be fully replaced by digital news sources.

"I don't call them newspapers anymore," said Murdoch, whose company owns the New York Post, The Wall Street Journal and this newswire. "They're news organizations."

He added that "communications are changing totally" and "we're moving into a digital age."

In the digital age, Murdoch said news would remain a strong media business and "source of our democracy" as future generations will still need a reliable source of information about their communities. News Corp.'s news organizations will remain an important source, he said, which can be distributed across various platforms, like PCs and handheld devices.

Cavuto asked Murdoch whether it bothers him when he and Fox News Channel President Roger Ailes are criticized for right-wing bias and treated like the "Rodney Dangerfields" of media.

"We criticize people - sometimes very harshly - so we've got to expect some back," Murdoch said. "I'm glad they're worried about us."

-By Nat Worden, Dow Jones Newswires; 201-938-5216; nat.worden@dowjones.com