Washington Post will be more virtual

One of the most prestigious newspapers Washington Post has been sold to an owner and general director of global Internet giant retailers (Amazon.com Inc.) Jeffrey Bezos.

The transaction price is $ 250 million, is said in a press release Washington Post Co. The founder of the world's biggest online store buys a newspaper and associated applications as a private person. It is expected that the transaction will close within 60 days.

The unexpected decision by the current owner Donald Graham (family owned publication 80 years) symbolizes the decline in the newspaper industry and the transfer of power from traditional media to the moguls of Silicon Valley - the experts say. The owner himself refers to the need to empower "Washington Post", as well as a certified genius Bezos in the world of technology and business, his vision and personal integrity. According to him, in the wrong hands, he would not give offspring family.

According to the audit firm Alliance for Audited Media, Washington Post takes the 7th place in the ranking of the most popular U.S. newspaper for the current year, but publication is not special demand among young readers. Newspaper circulation reached nearly 475 million copies, which is 6.5% less than last year, and its sales are steadily declining the last few years.

Sale Washington Post has become the second largest transaction in the U.S. newspaper industry in recent days. Last weekend, New York Times Boston Globe owner sold the baseball team Boston Red Sox John Henry for $ 70 million, less than 10% of the $ 1.1 billion, which New York Times had to pay for the same publication in 1993.

During the period from 2007 to 2012 revenue of U.S. newspaper advertising fell by 55%, which put many of them in an extremely difficult position. - 17D-