Murdoch News America Group Is Up for Sale

Media magnate Rupert Murdoch’s News America Syndicate, the Irvine-based distributor of newspaper cartoons, advice columns and opinion page essays, is for sale--with a price tag of about $24 million.

Murdoch acquired the syndicate in 1984 as part of his approximately $100-million acquisition of the Chicago Sun-Times. The unit, previously called the Field Newspaper Syndicate, was renamed after the purchase was completed.

Sale of the syndicate would fit in with Murdoch’s strategy of selling some of his American newspaper holdings as he expands his presence in movies and television.

Richard Newcombe, president and chief executive of News America Syndicate, declined to discuss the possible sale or to comment on a report in Editor & Publisher--a New York-based newspaper trade journal--that Newcombe is believed to be exploring the possibility of securing an outside investor and buying all or part of the syndicate himself.

News America is one of the largest syndicates in the nation in terms of sales to newspapers. For example, the syndicate supplies about half the comics that appear in the Los Angeles Times.

Because some of the nation’s dozen major news syndicates are privately held and do not release financial results, an exact determination of their rankings cannot be determined. But New York-based United Media and New York-based King Features are generally regarded as the top two in terms of annual sales. News America generally is placed third. Universal Press Syndicate, Tribune Media Services and the Los Angeles Times Syndicate also have large stables of writers and cartoonists whose work they sell to other newspapers.

Laura Morgan, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Times, said the company-owned syndicate is not negotiating with News America. Executives at the other syndicates could not be reached for comment on their interest in the operation.

In all, the company distributes 86 features to about 3,000 publications around the world and also syndicates free-lance articles.

Jeff Rowe is a free-lance writer.