Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Rumored Copley Suitor Puts Out Racy, Alternative Publications, but Has Debt Woes

Black Press Ltd. of Vancouver is once again rumored to be making a deal with Copley Press for the Union-Tribune, which has been on sale since July. As I reported last August, the owner David Holmes Black (no relation to scandal-plagued Canadian press lord Conrad Black) was seen at Copley shortly after the "for sale" sign went out, and has been reportedly been seen there again recently. Black Press owns more than 100 newspapers, many around Vancouver, but also in other Canada and U.S. locations. In doing research, I learned for the first time that Black owns two alternative publications, "Monday Magazine" and "WE" that appeal to a younger, anti-establishment audience. A recent issue of WE features a story on "Love, Sex & Kink: Three's Company," explaining polyamory, or multiple and simultaneous sexual adventures. Monday Magazine has an adult section featuring "graphic depictions and text descriptions of nudity and sexual activity." But is this just another rumor about a sale? In late January, Standard & Poor's lowered the Black Press debt rating to B from B+. That's deeper into junk bond status. In the event of default, investors can now expect to recover 50% to 70% of their investment, versus 70% to 90% earlier. I called Black Press to talk about the alternative papers; I got through to David Holmes Black. He confirmed that his company owned the alternative papers, but when I asked about a possible Copley purchase, he said, "I thought you wanted to talk about alternative papers. Good talking with you, Don," and hung up the phone. One rumor is that a deal could be done this week. The only price I heard mentioned is so low I hesitate to repeat it. Warning: Copley sale rumors raced around the company decades before it put itself up for sale.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Halloween opera style

Faust is the quintessential example
Next Article

Wild Wild Wets, Todo Mundo, Creepy Creeps, Laura Cantrell, Graham Nancarrow

Rock, Latin reggae, and country music in Little Italy, Oceanside, Carlsbad, Harbor Island

Black Press Ltd. of Vancouver is once again rumored to be making a deal with Copley Press for the Union-Tribune, which has been on sale since July. As I reported last August, the owner David Holmes Black (no relation to scandal-plagued Canadian press lord Conrad Black) was seen at Copley shortly after the "for sale" sign went out, and has been reportedly been seen there again recently. Black Press owns more than 100 newspapers, many around Vancouver, but also in other Canada and U.S. locations. In doing research, I learned for the first time that Black owns two alternative publications, "Monday Magazine" and "WE" that appeal to a younger, anti-establishment audience. A recent issue of WE features a story on "Love, Sex & Kink: Three's Company," explaining polyamory, or multiple and simultaneous sexual adventures. Monday Magazine has an adult section featuring "graphic depictions and text descriptions of nudity and sexual activity." But is this just another rumor about a sale? In late January, Standard & Poor's lowered the Black Press debt rating to B from B+. That's deeper into junk bond status. In the event of default, investors can now expect to recover 50% to 70% of their investment, versus 70% to 90% earlier. I called Black Press to talk about the alternative papers; I got through to David Holmes Black. He confirmed that his company owned the alternative papers, but when I asked about a possible Copley purchase, he said, "I thought you wanted to talk about alternative papers. Good talking with you, Don," and hung up the phone. One rumor is that a deal could be done this week. The only price I heard mentioned is so low I hesitate to repeat it. Warning: Copley sale rumors raced around the company decades before it put itself up for sale.

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

David Copley's Wallet Losing Heft

Next Article

If Boston Globe Worth $20 Million, Is U-T Worth $15 Million?

Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader