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Journalists Seek Murdoch Alternatives
Warren E. Buffett was asked whether he would like to buy the Wall Street Journal's parent company, Dow Jones. He has not responded.
(By Seth Wenig -- Associated Press)
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In addition to owning the Berkshire Hathaway holding company, Buffett owns the Buffalo News and is on the board of The Washington Post Co.
Mackin said his firm received unsolicited interest from two other people yesterday but declined to name them.
Burkle, 53, is listed by Forbes magazine as the 117th-richest American, with a net worth of $2.5 billion. In 1986, he founded Yucaipa and began acquisitions in the supermarket sector, buying Fred Meyer and Ralphs. Yucaipa now has stakes in several supermarket chains, including Supervalu.
Burkle partnered with fellow billionaire Eli Broad (Forbes's No. 42, at $5.8 billion) a Los Angeles developer and philanthropist, in a bid for Tribune. Their bid was bettered by a third billionaire, Chicagoan Zell (No. 52, $4.5 billion).
Murdoch, 76, is a naturalized U.S. citizen and Forbes's 32nd-richest American, worth $7.7 billion.
Broad is out of the country, and it could not be determined whether he received a letter from Yount, Broad's office said. One billionaire not been contacted by the union is music mogul David Geffen, his office said yesterday. Geffen remains interested in buying the Los Angeles Times from Zell.
Previously, Burkle made a run at the Knight Ridder newspaper chain, which put itself on the block in 2006 and was eventually purchased by McClatchy. But sources close to McClatchy said Burkle was never a serious contender for the Knight Ridder properties.
In March, Yucaipa hired Jeff Johnson, former Los Angeles Times publisher who was fired by parent company Tribune in October for refusing to make additional corporate-ordered cuts at the Times. Johnson advised Burkle on the failed bid for Tribune.
