Crosscut Seattle is reporting some fascinating info on the prospects for a buyer of the Blethen Maine Newspapers (the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram, Central Maine Morning Sentinel, and Kennebec Journal, plus mainetoday.com and ancillary related properties, including real-estate holdings in Portland, South Portland and elsewhere).
Here's a link to the story, by Bill Richards, who has covered the Seattle Times and the Blethen family for many years.
Some highlights:
-The newspaper's employees union declined to sign a non-disclosure agreement with the Blethens that could have allowed them to view the company's financial information, Crosscut reports.
-Three buyers are in the running to be the new owners.
-Ten prospective buyers have looked at the papers' financial records, some with primary interest in the papers' real-estate holdings.
-Richards names Black Press, the Canadian newspaper giant, as a possible buyer, though the company's owner wouldn't confirm that.
