NEW YORK, Dec. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Avista Capital Partners, a
leading private equity firm, today announced it has signed a definitive
agreement to acquire The Star Tribune Company from The McClatchy Company
(NYSE: MNI), a leading newspaper publisher, for $530 million.
The Star Tribune Company is the leading information provider in the
Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area and includes the Star Tribune
newspaper, StarTribune.com and other print and digital products and
services. The Star Tribune is the leading daily and Sunday newspaper in the
Twin Cities area with daily circulation in excess of 360,000 and Sunday
circulation of approximately 600,000. The Star Tribune is the 10th largest
Sunday paper and 14th largest daily paper in the United States.
StarTribune.com is the most frequently visited online local news and
information site in the Twin Cities, regularly reaching 36% of the adults
in the Twin Cities region.
OhSang Kwon, a partner of Avista Capital Partners, said, "With an
exceptional brand and presence in a strong demographic market, the Star
Tribune represents a very attractive asset among major metropolitan
newspapers. We will be entering this market in a leading position, and find
great promise in the company's potential for growth. Moreover, we are eager
to start working with the talented people of the Star Tribune and serving
the people of the Twin Cities."
Chris Harte, a member of Avista's executive advisory board, will serve
as Chairman of The Star Tribune Company, but the newspaper's senior
management team will remain in place.
Mr. Harte added, "We are excited to be partnering with the strong
management team at the Star Tribune. We believe there is a great future for
newspapers like the Star Tribune that produce an excellent local product
for their communities and are focused on what their readers want.
Furthermore, the Star Tribune does a terrific job of making its content
available over the internet and in other forms that its readers need and
want."
James Finkelstein, an industry partner at Avista who will also serve on
the Board of The Star Tribune Company, added, "Despite the proliferation of
media choices available today, newspapers represent the one vehicle that
can deliver content in all platforms from paper to the internet to phone.
The Star Tribune will continue to capitalize on these market dynamics,
supported by its broad talent pool and compelling brand. We look forward to
partnering with management to build the Star Tribune into the ultimate
multi-media brand of the future."
"We look forward to working with our new partners at Avista," said
Keith Moyer, publisher and president of the Star Tribune. "We'll plan to
take advantage of the partnership's strong base of knowledge in the
media/publishing sector as we continue to serve as the top, most
diversified, news and information source in the Twin Cities."
Davis Polk & Wardwell served as legal counsel to Avista Capital
Partners and financing will be provided by Credit Suisse and The Royal Bank
of Scotland.
About Avista Capital Partners
Avista Capital Partners is a private equity firm with offices in New
York, NY and Houston, TX. Founded in 2005, Avista's strategy is to make
controlling or influential minority investments primarily in
growth-oriented media, healthcare and energy companies. Through its team of
seasoned investment professionals and industry experts, Avista seeks to
partner with exceptional management teams to invest in and add value to
well-positioned businesses.
http://www.avistacap.com
About The McClatchy Company
The McClatchy Company will now be the third-largest newspaper company
in the United States, with 31 daily newspapers and approximately 50
non-dailies. McClatchy owned newspapers include The Miami Herald, The
Sacramento Bee, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The Kansas City Star, The
Charlotte Observer, and The (Raleigh) News & Observer. In addition,
McClatchy has a robust network of internet assets, including leading local
websites in each of its daily newspaper markets, offering users
information, comprehensive news, advertising, e-commerce and other
services. The company also owns and operates McClatchy Interactive, an
interactive operation that provides websites with content, publishing tools
and software development; Real Cities (http://www.RealCities.com), the
largest national advertising network of local news websites, including more
than 130 newspaper websites; and 15.0% of CareerBuilder, the nation's
largest online job site. McClatchy also owns 25.6% of Classified Ventures,
a newspaper industry partnership that offers classified websites such as
cars.com and apartments.com. McClatchy is listed on the New York Stock
Exchange under the symbol MNI.
http://www.mcclatchy.com
About The Star Tribune Company
The Star Tribune Company is the leading information provider in the
Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area and includes the Star Tribune
newspaper, StarTribune.com and other print and digital products and
services. The Star Tribune is the leading daily and Sunday newspaper in the
Twin Cities area with daily circulation in excess of 360,000 and Sunday
circulation of approximately 600,000. The Star Tribune is the 10th largest
Sunday paper and 14th largest daily paper in the United States.
StarTribune.com is the most frequently visited online local news and
information site in the Twin Cities with reach of 36%. The Star Tribune's
other print and digital products include weekly suburban editions which
focus on intensely local news coverage, direct marketing products and
internet websites that allow advertisers to target special interest
audiences in areas such as local lifestyle, social networking and real
estate.
http://www.startribune.com
Media Contact for Avista Capital Partners
Diana Postemsky, Kekst and Company, +1-212-521-4805
SOURCE Avista Capital Partners
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Related links:
http://www.avistacap.com
http://www.RealCities.com http://www.mcclatchy.com
http://www.startribune.com
CONTACT:
Diana Postemsky of Kekst and Company,
+1-212-521-4805, for Avista Capital Partners
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