Mystery Group Tours KR's Aberdeen 'Orphan'

Posted Tuesday, May 16, 2006 12:00 am

By: E&P Staff A mystery group took a late-night tour of the Aberdeen (S.D.) American News, one of the Knight Ridder newspapers put on the auction block by The McClatchy Co., the American News reported Tuesday.

The group of "several strangers" was escorted by Publisher Jerome Ferson on the tour at about 10 p.m. Sunday, the article by reporter Scott Waltman said. The tour prompted speculation among employees that the strangers were potential bidders for the paper, the article said.

Ferson would not comment on whether the group represented a potential bidder, the American News said. He did tell the paper that he was encouraged by the level of interest in buying the newspaper.

As previously reported, a delegation led by Forum Communications CEO William Marcil visited the paper last week. Executives from Forum, publisher of the Fargo (N.D.) Forum also toured two other Plains states papers up for sale: the Duluth (Minn.) News Tribune and the Grand Forks (N.D.) Herald.

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Mystery Group Tours KR's Aberdeen 'Orphan'

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