View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. News
January 19, 2009

Lebedev & The Standard: More strings attached than a jackaroo’s hat

By Peter Kirwan

Amid the acres of space being devoted to Alexander Lebedev and the Evening Standard, Peter Preston sounded an interesting note in the Observer yesterday.

Try this for size:

It matters hugely to Associated to know whether a Lebedev Standard would turn itself into a morning paper, competing directly with the Mail and Metro.

And this:

It matters mightily to James Murdoch to understand whether the Lebedev deal would destroy any immediate prospect of News International winning a chunk of the Standard in an eventual peace deal.

Preston’s larger point is that any deal to sell the Standard won’t be written breezily on the back of a fag packet. It will have more strings attached to it than jackaroo’s cork hat. 

Another of those strings may involve the Independent. The FT reported on Friday that Lebedev is negotiating to buy the Independent and the Independent On Sunday from Independent News & Media. 

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

The paper suggests that a bid from Lebedev is ‘contingent on the outcome of Mr Lebedev’s discussions with Daily Mail & General Trust”.

Economies of scale? Cross-promotion? A shared back office in Kensington?

Splicing together two renowned loss-makers could make sense. But the obvious implication is more redundancies than have already been announced.

Topics in this article :

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network