Media Groups Profile: Black

overview

ABC, SBS, BBC

Advance

Annenberg

AOL

APN

Astors

Aust Networks

Beaverbrook

Bertelsmann

Black

Cox

Disney

DMG

Elsevier

Fairfax

Financial Press

Fleet Street

Hearst

Liberty

Maxwell

News & Murdoch

New Yorker

NY Times

Packer

Sony

Thomson

Time Warner

Tribune

US Networks

Viacom

Vivendi

W Post

Black and Hollinger

Conrad Black, following in the footsteps of fellow-Canadian Max Aitken (Lord Beaverbrook), made a fortune at home before swallowing newspapers in the UK and other countries.

His Hollinger group is currently undertaking a large scale deacquisition program, selling off newspapers in the US and Canada. Some analysts consider that Black's strapped for cash. Others suggest that he's now on the prowl for new properties, although unlikely to enjoy the success of Canada's Thomson family in moving out of print into electronic information services.

the man

Conrad Black: A Life In Progress (Sydney, Random House 93) is an immensely admiring biography of the Canadian mogul by noted journalist Conrad Black.

A less reverent and more succinct portrait is given by Richard Siklos in Shades of Black: Conrad Black & the World's Fastest Growing Media Empire (New York, Touchstone 98). The empire's currently growing in reverse.

Black's major Canadian rival, the multinational Thomson group, in mid February announced that it was essentially abandoning print in favour of electronic publishing and in mid-July disposed of its travel business for several billion dollars.

Holdings

Mid 2000 Hollinger owned 379 newspapers worldwide.

The following list predates Hollinger's recent deacquisition program, expected to result in sale of most of its North American newspapers

Chicago Sun-Times

Daily Southtown

Post-Tribune (Gary, Indiana)

Midwest Suburban Publishing - weekly and biweekly publications in Chicago metro area

Pioneer Newspapers - weekly and biweekly publications in Chicago metro area

The Community Newspaper Group (US) includes:

Mount Vernon Register News (Illinois)

Enid News (Oklahoma)

The Herald Palladium (St. Joseph, Mich.)

Telegraph Group Ltd (UK):

The Daily Telegraph (London)

The Saturday Telegraph

The Sunday Telegraph

The Weekly Telegraph

The Spectator

Southam Inc. (Canada) (58.6%) includes:

The Ottawa Citizen

The Montreal Gazette

The Vancouver Sun

The Province

Calgary Herald

The Edmonton Journal

Financial Post (80%)

Victoria Times-Colonist

Cambridge Reporter

Nanaimo Daily News (Vancouver)

Southam Magazine and Information Group

Saturday Night (monthly magazine)

National Post

Sterling Newspapers Company (Canada) includes:

Regina Leader Post

Niagara Falls Review

The Jerusalem Post Publications (Israel):

Jerusalem Post - English daily newspaper, includes weekly international edition

Jerusalem Report

Shaar Lamatchil

This Week In Israel

Multimedia

Hollinger Digital includes:

The Trip.com - electronic travel service

Canada.com

Bidhit.com Inc. (2.4%)

Books Online (UK)

UKMax.com