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So why is Time reporting this now? Most of this (and more) has been common knowledge for months.

On an unrelated subject:

Anyone know who Fred Eychaner is and why he is pouring money into the Democrat party this election cycle? FECINFO shows over $1,750,000 as of June 30th.

Fred Eychaner
March 5, 2001

It was the most successful fundraiser the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee had ever held in Chicago. Fred Eychaner and his partner, Ken Lee, welcomed 100 people into their home for an intimate dinner with President Clinton last May. But the $850,000 raised at the event couldn't outpace Eychaner's own contributions to the Democrats during the last election cycle. The television mogul has ranked in the top 75 of every Mother Jones 400 since the list's inception in 1996.

Most of Eychaner's contributions went to candidates who support gay rights. He also hosted a Democratic fundraiser last September on behalf of gays and lesbians. The "no-media-allowed" event, which raised nearly $200,000 for the Democratic National Committee, was attended by Tipper Gore and Maggie Daley, wife of Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley. "What an incredible event," Tipper told reporters. "It's an awesome amount of money to raise for Al and Joe [Lieberman] to get the message of tolerance across."

Through his Newsweb Corporation, Eychaner owns affiliates of the UPN network in Chicago and Denver. The company also owns three AM radio stations in the greater Chicago area.

Eychaner is also well-known for supporting the arts in Chicago. He sits on the board of the Joffrey Ballet and is an honorary director of Youth Communications, which puts out a publication written by teenagers.

Eychaner, 57, an astute investor who also owns a printing business and some choice real estate in the Chicago area, has been scooping up bargains, notably three ethnic AM radio stations in town. A generous philanthropist, he has been funneling grants through the WPWR-TV Channel 50 Foundation to local arts organizations, gay and lesbian causes, education, and historic preservation, including the Auditorium Theatre Council.

A big-time fundraiser for the Democratic Party (ranked as one of the country's top campaign contributors by Mother Jones), Eychaner contributed nearly $1 million of his own money in 2000 in addition to the parties he gave on behalf of candidates at his stylish Lincoln Park home. Modest and publicity-shy, Echaner still owns his ten-year-old Ford Escort with no air conditioner, but now drives a Ford Escape.

FRED EYCHANER

What do WPWR, WBBS, WEHS, & WYIN all have in common? If you knew the name Fred Eychaner, you'd know the answer. The above stations all were part of a series of sometimes lucky transactions that made Eychaner a very wealthy man.

Democrats had a few sugar daddies of their own. On Oct. 24, Fred Eychaner, a Chicago entrepreneur who heads up Newsweb Corp, gave $1 million to the DNC to help fund its new headquarters in Washington. The Plumbers/Pipefitters Union matched that contribution on Dec. 31, while a handful of law firms, including the Dallas-based Baron & Budd ($200,000), also anted up.