Dennis RomeroWe told you recently how the conservative, billionaire Koch brothers might be interested in buying the Los Angeles Times.
Well, they might have company.
The Hollywood Reporter says that perennial would-be Times bidder Eli Broad, perhaps best known as a billionaire philanthropist and art collector in L.A., is teaming up with …
… investment banker and former L.A. Deputy Mayor Austin Beutner in preparing a bid for the paper.
Considering rumors that current owner Tribune Co. would want to sell the Times as part of a package deal with its other papers, including the Chicago Tribune and Baltimore Sun, THR says the Broad-Beutner duo (Double B?) would go for the whole enchilada if need be.
Credit: Gerald Angeles / Flickr
Broad's spokeswoman doesn't seem to deny it, saying that the man worth $6 billion has always believed in local ownership of the publication. But here's the kicker, according to the report:
Beutner and Broad would like to reconfigure the Times into a nonprofit, which Beutner would run while Broad joins its board of governors, sources tell THR.
[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]
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