NEW YORK - News Corp said on Friday that Robert Thomson, editor of The Times of London, would become publisher of The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones & Co after a takeover is finalised next week.

Mr Thomson, 46, was named editor of The Times in March 2002 and headed the daily as it saw growth in print and online readership, according to News Corp, the global media giant headed by Mr Rupert Murdoch.

The Times is among the many media properties owned by News Corp.

'Robert's brilliant editorial instincts combined with his keen sense of the marketplace will be tremendously valuable at this critical stage in the expansion of The Wall Street Journal and the other Dow Jones properties,' Mr Murdoch said in a statement.

The group said separately that Mr Les Hinton, executive chairman of News International, Mr Murdoch's British newspaper group, will become chief executive at Dow Jones, replacing Mr Richard Zannino.

'Les is one of the most respected executives in the media industry,' Mr Murdoch said.

'He's been a lifetime colleague and I've relied on his leadership and vision for decades. He has a great record of introducing innovations that have been replicated by other newspaper companies around the world.'

News Corp said a day earlier that its hard-fought acquisition of Wall Street Journal publisher Dow Jones is to be completed next week as the Dow Jones chief executive announced his departure.

The acquisition will be voted on by Dow Jones shareholders on Dec 13, 'and is expected to be completed shortly thereafter', said a statement issued by both companies.

News Corp, the conglomerate headed by Australian-born mogul Rupert Murdoch, clinched a deal earlier this year to take over the prestigious media group after members of the controlling family of shareholders accepted a US$5.6-billion (S$8-billion) takeover offer. -- AFP