There were supposed to be three bidders in the bankruptcy auction of Major League Baseball’s American League Texas Rangers, and maybe four, if a one of the many divisions of News Corp. jumped into the auction action. But in the end, only two parties submitted bids, and News Corp. was not one of them.
According to reports, the process has been delayed as bids from one group led by Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, and another led by baseball Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan, were under review.
Fox VP/Communications Chris Bellitti put out word that the company would neither be submitting a bid nor commenting on the decision not to submit a bid.
In his quarterly conference call Wednesday, News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch told analysts that he was interested in sports rights, not owning teams.
RBR-TVBR observation: For those in search of an additional media connection in this story, look no farther than the identity of the owner of the troubled Rangers franchise: Tom Hicks. Along with brother Steve, he was a prominent player in the radio station acquisition feeding frenzy that followed enactment of the 1996 Telecom Act, and is linked to radio group names like Capstar, Chancellor and AMFM.
