'Lightning Rod' James Murdoch Out As BSkyB Chairman

The son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch stepped down as chairman of British Sky Broadcasting, pressured amid scrutiny of Britain's tabloid phone-hacking scandal. James Murdoch remains on the board, and will be replaced as chairman by deputy chairman Nicholas Ferguson, the company said. The 39-year-old Murdoch is a top executive in his father's News Corp. (

) global media empire, which owns about 40% of BSkyB stock. In February he stepped down