By: E&P Staff The St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press, formerly part of Knight Ridder, now controlled by McClatchy but officially in limbo, took a look at possible suitors today in an article by John Welbes and Jennifer Bjorhus.
Prime speculation centers on Gannett and MediaNews, which expressed interest in the big Knight Ridder deal but backed off. "Beyond that, it could be almost anybody," said John Morton, head of Morton Research, a media consultancy in Silver Springs, Md.
Other possibilities include the Newspaper Guild, which is interested in at least eight of the 12 papers McClatchy has quickly put up for sale.
Pioneer Press Publisher Par Ridder said Monday that he had received "no serious phone calls" from interested buyers yet, and that he hadn't spoken with MediaNews chief Dean Singleton since he visited the paper recently.
"There was little immediate buzz Monday about any local groups expressing interest in pursuing the Pioneer Press," the article revealed.
But it noted that Gene Carr, chief executive of American Community Newspapers in Eden Prairie, said he was very interested in growing his cluster of Twin Cities publications.
"Anything that comes to market we will take a serious look at, without question," Carr said.
Based on a Morgan Stanley analyst's estimates, the paper would command a price somewhere in the range of $160 million to $180 million.
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