Toll Brothers newspapers?

Ethan Lindsey May 23, 2006

SCOTT JAGOW: Any day now, the McClatchy newspaper empire is expected to make a deal to sell Philadelphia’s two largest newspapers, the Inquirer and the Daily News. But the leading bidder isn’t known for selling newsprint. It’s known for building homes. More now from Ethan Lindsey.


ETHAN LINDSEY: Why would anyone be interested in buying into a medium that is supposed to be dying? . . . Because you shouldn’t believe everything you read in the newspaper.

MATTHEW FELLING: Every major conglomerate or corporation could benefit by having an outlet into a major market.

Matthew Felling is with the Center for Media and Public Affairs. He says newspapers fit into a broader media market that is growing. Six bidders are rumored to be interested — including the co-founder of homebuilding giant Toll Brothers.

Felling says Toll’s looking beyond the bottom line.

FELLING: Along the food chain of moguls, this is a food chain that anyone would want to be a part of.

McClatchy has said that after it sells the Philly papers, it wants out of six others it agreed to buy in March as part of a $4 billion merger with Knight Ridder.

I’m Ethan Lindsey for Marketplace.

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