by: Anshel Pfeffer | Haaretz

The merger between Maariv and Makor Rishon is yet to be finalized, though the owners of the two newspapers, Nochi Dankner and Shlomo Ben-Zvi, shook hands last week on the deal to sell the Maariv titles, its website, distribution network and subscriber base for NIS 85m to Ben-Zvi's Hirsch Media. Even if it does go ahead, it is very unclear how much of the old Maariv will remain following the acquisition, how many of its journalists will remain with the paper (Ben-Zvi has committed to employing 300-400 of Maariv's two thousand present employees) and whether the intention is simply to subsume the 65 year-old newspaper into Makor Rishon's operations.