The Techelet (Azure) Communications Group, headed by Efrat businessman Shlomo Ben-Tzvi - a one-time student in Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav Kook - is about to acquire the right-wing weekly Makor Rishon. Techelet will hold 85% of the paper's shares, while its former owner, Michael Karish, will retain the other 15%. Arutz-7's Ariel Kahane reports that Ben-Tzvi is also negotiating the purchase of the religious-Zionist HaTzofeh daily newspaper. HaTzofeh is currently owned by the HaPoel HaMizrachi movement.
The Techelet group, one member of which is Ron Lauder of New York, will begin operating Israel's new "traditional" cable television channel in two weeks' time, and, to round out its media ambitions, also hopes to compete in a tender for a religious radio station in central Israel.
Kahane reports that there are no plans, "at least for now," to merge Makor Rishon and HaTzofeh, although the two papers - and the TV station - will draw from some of the same sources. Kahane says that Ben-Tzvi's motives are apparently not financial, "as great profits are not expected from ventures of this sort. His motivation is more likely ideological/commercial…" HaTzofeh editor Gonen Ginat said that the hope is to form a media chain "that is different than all the others…"
The Techelet group, one member of which is Ron Lauder of New York, will begin operating Israel's new "traditional" cable television channel in two weeks' time, and, to round out its media ambitions, also hopes to compete in a tender for a religious radio station in central Israel.
Kahane reports that there are no plans, "at least for now," to merge Makor Rishon and HaTzofeh, although the two papers - and the TV station - will draw from some of the same sources. Kahane says that Ben-Tzvi's motives are apparently not financial, "as great profits are not expected from ventures of this sort. His motivation is more likely ideological/commercial…" HaTzofeh editor Gonen Ginat said that the hope is to form a media chain "that is different than all the others…"