MCA in Talks to Sell Putnam Berkley...

MCA in Talks to Sell Putnam Berkley Publisher: MCA Inc., the entertainment division of Seagram Co., is in talks to sell its Putnam Berkley Publishing Group to Pearson for more than $300 million, sources told Reuters. Pearson, a British-based media and entertainment company that controls the Financial Times newspaper, bought HarperCollins Educational publishing earlier this year from News Corp. for $580 million. Pearson already owns Penguin Group Book Publishers. An MCA spokeswoman declined to comment on a possible deal. Pearson executives were not immediately available. Industry analysts said that because Putnam Berkley is a small part of Seagram’s total business, it might be sold at the right price. Seagram has not focused on Putnam Berkley since acquiring an 80% stake in MCA from Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. for $5.7 billion last year, they said. Putnam Berkley Group’s authors include Tom Clancy (“Executive Orders”), Patricia Cornwell (“Cause of Death”), Dick Francis (“To the Hilt”), Robin Cook (“Chromosome 6”) and Lawrence Sanders (“McNally’s Puzzle”). The negotiations were reported Monday by the Hollywood Reporter.