Posted on 04/24/2013 2:41:19 PM PDT by IBD editorial writer
Media: Billionaire brothers with a free-market bent are said to be eyeing some big newspapers. The left is worried. Will this end a noble tradition of red ink and layoffs? As readers of Mother Jones and the Daily Kos will tell you, David and Charles Koch fund a vast right-wing conspiracy that has warped American political life and kept a boot heel on the neck of the 99%. So with power like that, why would the brothers want to buy struggling newspapers? Why not go after something with more of a future, like mobile apps? Whatever the reasons, the Kochs are reported to be interested in buying papers owned by the Tribune Co., including the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Orlando Sentinel, Hartford Courant and Baltimore Sun. The eight papers are worth an estimated $623 million. Koch Industries, the brothers' diversified energy and manufacturing business, books revenue of $115 billion a year. So it doesn't look like much of a financial stretch.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.investors.com ...
If the Koch brothers can pull this off the country will be immeasurably better off.
But I believe the left will pull out the stops, up to & including destroying the 1st Amendment, to prevent it.
I have no doubt that the major owners of the LAT would accept a lower price from a liberal bidder. The question is are the leftist owners the majority. If not, they may be forced to accept the presumably higher Koch bid.
If anyone has any insight here they should post it.
A truly conservative American newspaper would sell like hot cakes.
The Left is therefore peeing its collective pants over this.
I’ve been saying for years that there would be good money in it for conservatives to buy a network of papers & TV channels.
The Koch’s might be able to do this on a scale that could justify the creation of a new wire service to replace the propaganda of the AP and Reuters. Many small town newspapers would flock to a “straight up” news wire service to avoid the utter garbage published by these outfits. My small town newspaper prints their trash like it is the gospel truth.
Bingo We have a Winner!
By the Large Money loosing Leftist rags and create a Real Wire Service.
AP is killing the remaining independent newspapers.
AP = Always Propaganda
Just some food for thought.
While I don’t have the exact figures, it is my understanding that close to 75% of “stories” or “articles” that appear in the printed press are actually placed there by PR firms.
In addition, the news wires, without a doubt control most reporting of national and world news. The Chicago Tribune not only owns multiple papers they sell their content to local or the papers in smaller markets.
I believe the NY Times has a substantially greater reach into local papers than the Chicago Tribune.
AP is a major component of the MSM and "progressive" media. The left fears this because it lives on lies. They cannot withstand the truth. It would be utter foolishness for the Koch brothers to buy these papers and leave the leftists in charge. There is plenty of Conservative talent out there that could do a good job in these papers.
We need to go back to when everyone knew that sources were biased, and knew what the bias was. Much of our current problems have occurred because news sources claimed to be "objective".
A truly conservative American newspaper would sell like hot cakes.
The Left is therefore peeing its collective pants over this.
It will mean they must get real jobs, where they must produce something of value, or else.
Not a pleasent future...
The Liberal MSM has enough power to get Obama elected, and to slant the debate leftward almost all the time. Getting some kind of real balance would help America.
the left would force corporations to not advertise in it, the rest of the MSM would pillory and belittle them, many employees will quit or sabotage.
Plus, the Koch brothers are not conservative on every issue
The Kochs wouldn't do that. They'll change the model and run the papers like businesses and not like charities, which is the current model. By definition that means new writers, new desk editors, new publishers, new advertising execs. Only the technicians that run the presses will remain. And the new papers had better perform, or they'll repeat as necessary until they get a crew that does.
That's how you turn a business around. It would be the ultimate last laugh if the Kochs hired Mitt Romney to do the heavy lifting.
I am for the Koch brothers getting into the heavyweight news paper market. They apparently have the money which does the talking and they are a different voice from the Arab and Soros and Rothschild controlled press. It is fascinating for me that people of the Koch family tree are here in the USA to be able to present a entrepreneurial story as to the true USA spirit and interests.
Agreed.
I’m also a fan of conservative ownership of a major TV network and multiple newspapers.
Fox has made itself an easy target for the left and even though they dominate in the ratings the major advertisers are afraid to run ads on Fox. Fox runs mostly mini “infomercials” while the majors get the very large corporations.
There is another issue among the so called journalists and reporters that work under the current structure. The issue is one of job security.
I believe the only way to break this current structure is for conservative ownership and editorial control of multiple news outlets. This would provide escape routes for those reporters that wanted to have a job so they can do their job.
No, no. Keep up the fear. I want to see Socialist-Leftists falling—left AND right—clutching their chests.
Sadly the paper that brought us this story, Investors Business Daily, as well as the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Times, all conservative, do not sell like hot cakes. They are all likely read by the same group of people.
I’m convinced that as soon as the owners are outed as conservatives, the message dies because of the messenger.
The only way to break this liberal media control, is to provide sufficient and viable employment for those that have the talent and are tired of the liberal editorial control over their work. Currently, they must stay quiet and go along since they don’t have enough options that will keep them employed.
I can't recall a major newspaper in the past 30 years that showed a conservative bias in its news reporting? Can you give a few examples?
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