LONDON (Brand Republic) - Mortimer Zuckerman, the publisher of the New York Daily News, has said he would be willing to make a bid for the city鈥檚 number two newspaper, the New York Post, if US cross-media ownership rules forced News Corporation to sell it.
News Corp has already received exemption from government regulator, the Federal Communications Commission, allowing it to own the New York Post and New York TV station WNYW.
However, it would have to obtain a further exemption to complete its $5.3bn (£3.71bn) acquisition of Chris-Craft Industries, owner of 10 stations including WWOR in New York, as well as stations in Phoenix and Los Angeles.
The Institute for Public Representation in Washington, which is opposed to News Corp鈥檚 planned purchase of Chris-Craft, asked media and real estate mogul Zuckerman to put in writing whether he would be prepared to bid for the New York Post.
The IPR filed Zuckerman鈥檚 response with the FCC on Monday.
鈥淚 or my affiliates would be prepared to make a bid to purchase the New York Post," Zuckerman wrote in an April 12 letter released by the IPR. "We would be prepared to operate it as an editorially independent newspaper.鈥
A spokesman for News Corp said, 鈥淭he New York newspaper market is one of the world''s most cut-throat, and it鈥檚 not surprising that Mr Zuckerman would want to buy out his chief rival. But he鈥檚 never spoken to us about it and, regardless, the Post is not for sale.鈥
The Daily News has an average weekday circulation of around 700,000, compared with the Post鈥檚 440,000.
As well as the Daily News, Zuckerman also owns the US News & World Report. In December, he sold off new-economy magazine Fast Company to the Bertelsmann-owned magazine group Gruner+Jahr for a reported $300m (£210.19m).