CNBC: New York Times Potential Acquisition Target for Google

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Want more evidence print media is giving way to digital formats? According to CNBC "Squawk on the Street" Nov. 3, Internet behemoth Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) could have its sights set on The New York Times (NYSE:NYT).

Brian Shactman, a general assignment reporter for CNBC noted an article in the Nov. 2 Wall Street Journal that indicated a lot of big companies are hoarding cash and short term investments and it pointed out the information technology sector had nearly $280 billion to invest.

"There's so much talk today about M and A," Shactman said of mergers and acquisitions. "Well let's look it forward - some names out there that could be in the offing, some things to think about. Remember The Wall Street Journal said yesterday tech has about $280 billion to work with. Remember Google said they wanted to make about one acquisition a month. They have the cash - they got to speed up."

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Shactman said S&P 400 companies, an index of companies with mid-cap stocks, could be targets of S&P 500, since many of those companies have this cash on hand.

"I talked to James Altucher of stockpickr.com today," Shactman said. "He basically said the S&P 400 is going to get bought by the S&P 500 mainly because of a lot of issues with financing."

According to the Journal, Google's cash and short-term investments are up 53 percent to $22 billion in the third quarter from a year ago, accounting for 58 percent of its total assets. That puts Google in position to make a move on the Times and many targets.

"One name he said - New York Times - could be a target by Google," Shactman said. "About.com is a big revenue driver for them. It's trading at under $10. He said they should just throw in the towel - New York Times."

Earlier this year, a share of New York Times had fallen under $4 a share. It's rebounded since then, approaching nearly $11 a share in October, but has since settled just $8 a share.


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→ Googling the Old Grey Lady

Something disturbingly Oedipal about this venture.

ACORN - creating or saving votes since 1970 

Bad News

But does Carlos Slim have enough stock bought up that he might block this?

Bad news for us if Google is able to do this, it means the New York Slimes could continue as they are or even expand with no concern for circulation or advertising figures. They would be a trinket in the pocket of Google, like NBC/MSNBC is to GE.

The answer

The question would be is that a real change? 

Google has buckled to anyone that has put any preasure on them at all.  Their creditability is not a whole lot better than NYTs.

Google

A Google takeover of the NYT would make the paper more lefty than it already is if that is possible.

"Somehow, I told you so, just doesn't quite say it." Will Smith in 'I, Robot.'

Whoa, this sounds like just

Whoa, this sounds like just the kind of aquisition the Old Media has been brethlessly worrying about, because it will concentrate the power in the hands of an information dictatorship or something and also kill journalism.

Don't be shocked

I'm going to the bright side for a change. There will be no need for a subsidy from Washington, and we'll still know who the enemy is. I hate to wear out the literary device of finding a song that says it all, but here it is: 

Some things in life are bad
They can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse.
When you're chewing on life's gristle
Don't grumble, give a whistle
And this'll help things turn out for the best...

And...always look on the bright side of life...
Always look on the light side of life...

-Eric Idle

Life of Bryan

 

 

CNBC is talking through

CNBC is talking through their butts again.  The NYT's class A common stock that is traded on the NYSE does not control the company, but the class B common does and it is 88% owned by the Schulzberger family.  Any purchase of the company would have to have the family's approval. 

The question has to be why buy it?  In a couple of years, one could pick it up out of bankruptcy court for a song . . .