Gore close to cable buy

New York Daily News ^ | 10/01/03 | Phyllis Furman

[kattracks]

Call him Al Gore, media baron.

The former vice president is close to striking a $70 million deal to acquire Newsworld International, a tiny cable network owned by French media giant Vivendi Universal, media sources said.

Gore and his backers want to turn the digital channel into a liberal-leaning network. His partners include ex-Democratic fund-raiser Joel Hyatt and media investment banker Steve Rattner, who's said to be lining up financing.

Carried in just 20 million homes, NWI airs newscasts from around the world, including reports from the Canadian Broadcasting Co. The net is part of Vivendi Universal Entertainment, the show biz empire that's about to be acquired by NBC.

Reps for Vivendi and Gore declined to comment.

Phyllis Furman

Originally published on October 1, 2003

[OldFriend]

Didn't Ratner commission the politically correct sculpture of the firemen raising the flag at ground zero?

[Cinnamon Girl]

Show's already in the works for Al's new network:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/934201/posts

[The Westerner]

"...liberal-leaning network."

Anti-Capitalist All Day Long, Hate the West News. Featured reporters will be Professors in the classrooms of Ivy League Universities.

[Destructor]

Algore in the near future: "Welcome to the Tree Network. All trees-- all of the time!"

[Liz]

Washington Post White House Coffee Guest List: May 2, 1996:

Steve Rattner, Lazard Freres and Company, New York, NY.

[Califelephant]

Newsworld International is ALREADY a liberal-leaning news network. I sent one of their news anchors a nasty email a few months ago over a puff-piece he produced on Fidel Castro.

[MeekOneGOP]

LOL !! That's great. Good ole algore ...

Head to Head with ALGORE

[Grampa Dave]

I wonder if Ratner is associated with these Lazard funds?

http://biz.yahoo.com/p/fam/lazard_funds.html

[aShepard]

Gore wouldn't know how to run a kid's lemonade stand!

[mhking]

Just damn.

If you want on the new list, FReepmail me. This IS a high-volume PING list...

[As i mentioned, the B/C & JD! lists are going to float into and out of whack over the forseeable future, while I try to cobble a rig back together for myself. My apologies for any incovenience or misunderstandings in this time frame. New signups/removals may be flaky in this time-frame as well; please bear with me, and keep in mind you may have to FReepmail me more than once for me to get it done. Thanks again!]

[NativeNewYorker]

I don't think so.

[SpyGuy]

We can only hope our liberal friends can find a few more money-pits like this one to siphon off some of their funds.

I hope these bozos dump millions into this network. It will mean their money will be out of the politicial field.

I'm sure the Rats will find some way of making the taxpayers fund this thing. If not directly, then indirectly through tax write-offs.

[I'm ALL Right!]

Why didn't they just say they wanted it to be just like ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN....No need to CREATE a liberal-leaning network...plenty already up and running.

[Timesink]

If anyone cares, the actual WSJ article, far more complete, was posted hours earlier here.

[I'm ALL Right!]

Don't be silly! Gore invented cable TV just before he invented the internet, remember?

[rattrap]

oh c'mon you guys don't want to play NoWarForOilCraft?

where you get together with a bunch of folks from different coutries online and beech about the violent "rethuglicans" playing command and conquer and america's army.

or maybe even Liberablo where you run around giving money to urban outdoorsman with every click of your mouse.

[OldFriend]

If nothing else, this crowd is going to give us some much needed comic relief.

[presidio9]

I'm confused. Why doesn't the man just invent internet radio and broadcast in that format?

[Republicus2001]

heck I though this thread was about him upgrading from dial-up to the cable modem he just finished inventing...

[martin_fierro]

LOL (or is it "lõl"?)