Ron Burkle, Billionaire Investor, Is Said to Be in Talks to Buy National Enquirer
Source: New York Times
The owners of The National Enquirer are in talks to sell the tabloid to the California billionaire Ronald W. Burkle, according to two people with direct knowledge of the negotiations.
An acquisition of The Enquirer by Mr. Burkle, a Democratic donor with close ties to President Bill Clinton, could raise eyebrows in Washington given President Trump’s fondness for the tabloid, which he has praised on Twitter.
While representatives of The Enquirer, which is owned by American Media Inc., are deep in their negotiations with Mr. Burkle, the deal could still fall apart, according to the two people with direct knowledge of the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private talks. Representatives for Mr. Burkle did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Mr. Burkle specializes in buying distressed companies and selling them at a profit or rebuilding them to increase their value. He made his initial fortune buying and selling supermarkets in his home state. In 1999, he helped buy the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey franchise out of bankruptcy. The team has won three Stanley Cup championships since then.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/11/business/dealbook/national-enquirer-ron-burkle.html
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They don't sell books anymore, or I'd still be doing it 
you will find these interesting tidbits -
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Mr. Trump also calls Mr. Burkle a friend. In October 2017, at a White House event celebrating the Penguins’ Stanley Cup victory, Mr. Burkle was praised by Mr. Trump as “a great, great negotiator,” and jokingly asked him to help renegotiate some trade deals for the United States. “I really mean that,” Mr. Trump said. “If you want to get involved in negotiating Nafta, I like it.”
In their world, everything and everybody "has a price".
When you have that kind of "real wealth", "parties" are meaningless. Look at Bloomberg.
It all goes back to what was so eloquently stated in the movie "Network" with the infamous "The World is a business" monologue.
if the sale price included the Trump-dirt stuffed safe we've heard so much about. That would be glorious, putting the TRUTH about the orange sphincter on the cover of the Enquirer. Would the Trump cult still buy them, at least for 6 months before they discovered they were reading honest reporting about their hero? 
A Democratic Corporate raider just like Mitt Romney buying a distressed company!
Well, Trump just killed another company!
Turn out the light boys!
ad revenue must be way down. They admit they are going belly-up.
I have no idea why Burkle is even thinking of buying this loser, unless he sees it as a challenge. The ultimate challenge.
Or maybe as a favor to some of his buddies.
(If he buys it at a bankruptcy auction, it would be more difficult to make a go of it. And he may not get the "safe"
Especially whenever another issue about Bat Boy, or as I like to call him: Rudy Giuliani's bastard step-child.
Mr. Burkle partnered with Mario Lemieux who retired from the Penguins, with the team still owing him a lot of money. Lemieux wanted to take over ownership of the team in order to keep them in Pittsburgh and in the NHL. Otherwise the Penguins would have been sold and moved to another city in the mid-90s.
Long story short, Burkle and Lemieux partnered up and took over the team, and made them profitable through team building and smart management. The Pittsburgh Penguins are one of America's premier hockey teams now, and even if it does eventually get sold the team would remain here in Pittsburgh. It's a success story and Ron Burkle helped make it happen. I believe he's been a silent partner for many years but he may have sold his portion by now. Mario Lemieux has become a multi-millionaire, with business and real estate investments as well as his ownership of the Penguins.
If Burkle had been looking for a "quick buck" he would have sold the team and moved them to San Diego or somewhere. Pittsburghers are thankful he didn't do that.
Last edited Sat Apr 13, 2019, 09:49 AM - Edit history (1)
Thanks for this DeminPennswoods! I remembered reading this a couple years ago, but I lost the link to it. I've been living in Pittsburgh since 1988 and I've seen the Penguins' ups & downs & ups again. This is an awesome story that warms my heart.
. . .instead of pissing away his $$$millions on a political act (impeachment - which doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell unless the GOPs in the Senate vote to convict). . .he should buy up mainstream media outlets and turn them into instruments for our side.
