The Hearst Family – $24.5 Billion
The Hearst Family can actually trace its fortune back to the father of its most famous patriarch, publishing titan William Randolph Hearst. In case you didn’t know, Hearst started life off as the son of a wealthy miner in San Francisco. When he turned 24-years-old, he decided to use some of his father’s money to purchase a newspaper, The San Francisco Examiner. From there, the rest was history.
Before long, William managed to expand his business into a massive radio, newspaper, and TV empire, known as the Hearst Corporation. Today, Hearst’s son, William II, controls the $24.5 billion media empire, in addition to working as a journalist.