Lachlan Murdoch, the renegade son who cast off his mantle as heir apparent to the News Corp empire and returned to his native Australia four years ago, has taken a 50-percent stake in that country's DMG radio network for about $50 million in cash and the assumption of about $60 million in debt, according to the Dow Jones News Service, a News Corp subsidiary. There had been much speculation that Murdoch, who has not made a major investment since leaving News Corp in 2005, had been considering a return to the family fold. His decision to enter the Australian radio business appeared to scotch such speculation. In a statement, he said, "Patience is a virtue and, after exhaustively searching the market for the right acquisition, we have found in DMG Radio Australia the right business, the right partner and the right brands which are positioned for exemplary growth." The Melbourne, Australia Herald-Sun, another News Corp unit, quoted sources close to the 38-year-old Murdoch as saying that "he was attracted to the upside potential of the radio industry as it emerges from the economic slowdown." Australian companies, which were not hit heavily by the global recession, have been attracting numerous moneyed investors in recent months.