The suggestion that Google Inc. buy the New York Times Co. is a provocative one, so it's no big surprise that a new business blog, Real Clear Markets, would air such an idea to drum up traffic. After almost eight years online, Real Clear Politics is expanding into business news. While Real Clear Markets has an archive that dates back to early October, it's still a work in progress. Clicking on the About Us, Contact and Privacy Policy leads to blank pages, but clicking on the Advertise link and you get Real Clear Politics' advertising rates. The site is primarily an aggregator of news from other sites, and despite its name, it is heavy on the economics, which makes sense given the connection to Real Clear Politics.
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As for the argument about Google buying the Times, Real Clear Markets makes some interesting assertions concerning the Times' competitive landscape, which supports its argument that the Sulzberger family would ultimate follow the lead of the Bancroft's -- formerly of Dow Jones & Co. -- and bug out. (Perhaps, but the Sulzbergers have shown no inclination in that direction -- and they actually run the joint.) However, the Google part of the argument is particularly questionable. It ignores the failed merger of AOL and Time Warner, for instance, an earlier attempt to force together old and new media. While a Google purchase of the Times might only cost about $4 billion -- a tiny fraction of what AOL paid for Time Warner -- the cultural difficulties might produce an integration nightmare. What does Google know about the news business? Why would fast-growing Google burden itself with a slow-growing Times? And why does Google have to own content when it's able to exploit everyone else's for free? None of this is particularly clear. - Matthew Wurtzel
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