Nicholas Carlson of Business Insider reports that The New York Observer is close to announcing a deal to acquire the business news and gossip site Dealbreaker.com.
Carlson writes, “But another source, one close to the higher-ups at the Observer, cautions that the deal is ‘not final yet.’
“Why?
“Bess Levin wants to get paid.
“Bess is Dealbreaker’s top editor and everyone, including her, knows she’s the only reason anybody reads the site.
“Deal talks began earlier this year, but stalled this summer when the Observer demanded Breaking Media to lock-in Bess for three years. Supposedly Breaking Media low-balled Bess with a three-year contract with a $50,000 signing bonus and a small raise over her current salary. Bess balked.
“And now, even though the Observer has agreed to buy DealBreaker for $500,000 to $1,000,000, Breaking and Observer still haven’t offered Bess a big enough retention bonus.”
Read more here.
