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BALTIMORE (AP) – The Baltimore Sun newspaper has been purchased by David D. Smith, executive chairman of media conglomerate Sinclair Inc.
Smith told Newspaper He acquired Baltimore Sun Media from hedge fund Alden Global Capital in a private deal closed Friday. He did not disclose how much he paid in the settlement.
Smith purchased the newspaper with its assets independently of Sinclair, which is known for its ownership of local television news stations across the U.S. He said, however, that there could be a partnership between the two brands in the future. He will remain executive chairman at Sinclair.
Smith told The Sun in an interview, “I’m in the news business because I believe… we have an absolute responsibility to serve the public interest.” “I think the paper can be extremely profitable and successful and serve the broader public interest over time.”
Smith told the newspaper that he would focus on local news and investigations, and that he planned to use video and social media to attract new subscribers. He will begin meeting with employees and managers of Sun and its associate stores on Tuesday.
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Smith said he started reading the Sun regularly just a few months ago but became interested in buying the media group about two years ago.
“As time went on I was motivated to focus more on it and it felt like the perfect time, so I made the deal,” Smith told the newspaper.
The sale to Smith comes after Alden bought the paper in 2021 as part of its $633 million purchase of Chicago-based Tribune Publishing Newspaper Company.
Baltimore Sun Media, winner of 16 Pulitzer Prizes, employs more than 150 people and publishes seven other publications in addition to the Sun, with a total of more than 230,000 paid subscribers. The Sun was founded in 1837 and has since become Maryland’s largest newspaper.
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