Thursday, March 16, 2006

Philly Locals Want Green Bay Packers-Style Ownership For 2 Papers

Philly Locals Want Green Bay Packers-Style Ownership For 2 Papers Philly Locals Want Green Bay Packers-Style Ownership For 2 Papers

By Mark Fitzgerald

Published: March 15, 2006 1:55 PM ET

CHICAGO A former high-powered Philadelphia advertising executive has received commitments 'well in excess of $100 million' to buy The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Philadelphia Daily News in an ownership structure similar to the community-owned Green Bay Packers pro football team, he told E&P Wednesday.

Brian Tierney said he has lined up 20 'super-successful' Philadelphia businesspeople in an investment group ready to partner with others, including the Newspaper Guild, to buy the papers. The Inquirer and the tabloid Daily News were sold Monday by Knight Ridder to The McClatchy Co., which immediately announced they and 10 other papers were for sale.

In a telephone interview, Tierney said the group was committed to long-term ownership. 'We're looking at this as partly a good economic investment, and partly as good community involvement,' he said. 'It would be a sort of Green Bay Packers kind of ownership.'"
What about this type of ownership for the Pittsburgh Penguins? We talked about it a couple of months ago -- when I was in the election. Well, now, I've got more time on my hands.

If the Philly papers get the deal with community ownership, perhaps we could get them to start an entry into the Pittsburgh marketplace too.

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