Pat Robertson Says He Wants to Buy 'Virginian-Pilot'

By: Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson is considering buying The Virginian-Pilot, a newspaper he has criticized for its coverage of his pursuits.

Norfolk-based Landmark Communications Inc. announced last week that it was evaluating whether to sell its assets, including The Weather Channel and The Pilot, its flagship newspaper.

Robertson said in a statement to the paper Thursday that he is considering a potential bid for The Pilot. He said owning the newspaper would help provide internships for journalism students at Regent University, the school he founded in Virginia Beach.

Robertson has objected to articles in the newspaper that he said unfairly characterized him and his activities.

More from the Virginian-Pilot follows.
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Robertson is the first investor to announce that he might seek to acquire The Pilot.

A top Landmark official and some analysts suggest The Weather Channel and other weather-related properties might bring as much as $5 billion. No estimates have yet been floated on The Pilot, which most recently had an average seven-day audited circulation of 186,489. In addition to The Pilot, Landmark has a number of Web and print publications that do business under Pilot Media Cos.

Frank Batten Jr., the chairman and chief executive officer of Landmark, said Thursday he was not aware that Robertson was considering making an offer. Batten declined to discuss the possibility, saying, "I am not going to comment on the bidders."

Landmark officials have said the sales process could take six months or more to complete.

In the past, Robertson has expressed interest in purchasing journalistic businesses but has not completed the deals.

He offered $6 million for the struggling United Press International news service in 1992 but dropped the bid a month later, saying it would cost too much to keep UPI in business.

In January 1995, a spokesman said that he was part of a business group interested in purchasing the Houston Post. In April of that year, the paper was bought by the Hearst Corp., owner of the Post's rival, the Houston Chronicle. Hearst immediately closed the Post.

Randall Balmer, a professor of U.S. religious history at Columbia University who studies evangelicals, said an offer from Robertson "strikes me as a Rupert Murdoch kind of move, diversifying into different forms of media, obviously on a much smaller scale than Murdoch."

"It makes sense in a lot of ways," Balmer said. "It allows him to expand his journalism program at Regent University and to provide, in effect, guaranteed internships and a place of employment for his graduates."