The Dolan family, who own the New York Knicks basketball team and
Newsday
newspaper, have accused
New York Daily News
owner Mort Zuckerman of using “intimidation and extortion” to force a merger between the
Daily News
and
Newsday,
the
Financial Times
reported.
An article in the
Daily News
alleged that the Knicks withheld information about a knee injury to star player Jeremy Lin in an effort to boost ticket sales. The Dolan family responded to the article via a statement, the
FT
report said.
The Knicks are part of Madison Square Garden Co., which is controlled by the Dolans. The family also controls Cablevision Systems, which includes television properties and
Newsday.
The Dolans’ statement said Zuckerman had made “repeated overtures” to Cablevision CEO Jim Dolan about merging the papers, which were “rejected multiple times.”
The
FT
report said a merger of the
Daily News
and
Newsday
“has been rumoured for decades.” (Source:
Financial Times,
April 3, 2012.)
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