The Washington Post
Jeff Bezos “wasn’t the only billionaire wooed” by Washington Post Co. Chairman Donald Graham and the investment bank Allen & Co., Steven Mufson writes. Others included:
Robert Allbritton, owner of Politico and whose family once owned the Washington Star; Michael R. Bloomberg, who some people believed would want a daily print outlet in addition to his economic-driven subscriber news and data service; David Rubenstein, co-founder of the Carlyle Group and a major Washington philanthropist; and Eric Schmidt, who was chief executive of Google for 10 years.
The asking price in other negotiations reached $600 million, according to people familiar with the talks; for one prospective buyer, the price was significantly higher, according to a person whose advice was solicited by that person.
Bezos got the paper for $250 million. Lots, lots more good stuff in Mufson’s story about the events that influenced Graham’s decision to sell.
