Lampoon May Give Investors Seats on Board : Raider David Batchelder Aiding Matheson Group

National Lampoon founder Matty Simmons confirmed Thursday that he may put several representatives of a new investor alliance on the firm’s board. But he insisted that he is not considering granting them a role in day-to-day operations.

Statements by both sides indicate a possibility of some confusion on that point.

The difference may be only semantic. But if it is substantial, it could lead to a decidedly unhumorous confrontation at the humor factory.

Meanwhile, independent Hollywood film and television producers Daniel Grodnik and Tim Matheson (an actor in National Lampoon’s “Animal House” movie) disclosed Thursday that they were accompanied to meetings with Simmons by David Batchelder, the erstwhile mastermind of T. Boone Pickens Jr.’s corporate raids on a number of oil giants since 1981.

Whether this casting might end up as a takeover scenario is yet to be seen.

Grodnik/Matheson Co. has voting rights to 21.3% of the magazine and film company’s stock. In a public filing Thursday it said it reserves the right to seek control of the company.

‘Very Friendly Thing’

The filing reported that Grodnik, Matheson and hired gun Batchelder met Simmons at his Los Angeles office Tuesday and the two producers told him that they were interested in “acquiring day-to-day managerial responsibility with respect to the operations of the company, and board representation.”

In response, Simmons indicated a willingness to consider appointing Grodnik, Matheson and Nebraskan Alan S. Parsow to a minority of the board seats “as well as the active participation of Messrs. Grodnik and Matheson in the operations of the company,” the 13D filing said.

However, Simmons said in an interview Thursday that he is only considering their participation as board members. There is no commitment beyond that at this time, he said, adding: “So far, it has been a very friendly thing.”

He said the group again assured him at a luncheon meeting Thursday that “no one is trying to raid the company, no one is trying to take control of this company.”

As for Batchelder and his background as a raider, Simmons said lightly: “This is not the same as those other companies. I founded the company and it is built around my presence.” Also, he noted, he controls more stock than the investor group.

Batchelder opened a small investment banking firm, Batchelder & Partners, in La Jolla last summer after he stepped down as head of Pickens’ Mesa Limited Partnership in Amarillo, Tex.

Pooled Voting Power

Grodnik/Matheson said in the filing that it has employed the Batchelder firm “to render certain services” in connection with the National Lampoon investment.

The filing also said that Grodnik/Matheson have the pooled voting power of a diverse group of National Lampoon investors, including the American Institute of Physics, a New York publisher; the Des Moines (Iowa) General Hospital Co., a nonprofit charitable hospital; Bell United, a Rancho Santa Fe investment firm; Parsow Partnership Ltd., of Elkhart, Neb., and two individuals.

Some are apparently longtime investors, having purchased their National Lampoon shares at a higher cost than the market price during the past two years. While newcomer Grodnik/Matheson’s average cost comes to $3.99 a share, the other firms paid from $5.41 to $7.26 a share for their stock, the filing showed. The stock has been trading at about $4 recently.