Byron Allen reveals he asked Jeff Bezos to sell him the Washington Post during address at Buzzfeed
TheGrio...
The media mogul shared details of a conversation with Jeff Bezos while outlining his larger vision for BuzzFeed and HuffPost employees.
Byron Allen says an interest in acquiring The Washington Post has not faded, even after expanding his media holdings with the recent acquisition of BuzzFeed.
Speaking to BuzzFeed employees and staff on May 19, theGrio was present when Allen discussed his long-term vision for the company and revealed that he approached Jeff Bezos about potentially purchasing the Washington Post.
“I actually asked Jeff Bezos would you consider selling me the Washington Post,” Allen said. “I ran into him at a party. And I said, why don’t you sell me the Washington Post?”
Allen continued by explaining his pitch to Bezos, particularly as the Amazon founder continues expanding his space exploration company, Blue Origin.
“You know, I know you’re worried about the Trump administration,” Allen said. “You need to be worried that you’re trying to fly rocket ships into outer space. You need the government. I’m not trying to go into outer space. I’d like to go buy the Washington Post.”
According to Allen, Bezos did not dismiss the conversation.
“He didn’t say yes. He didn’t say no,” Allen said. “He took my old phone and gave me his contact information.”
While Allen said he plans to continue pursuing the Washington Post, he also made clear that he views his newly expanded digital media portfolio as a strong position on its own.
“So for me, I will keep pursuing it,” Allen said. “But at the end of the day, if I don’t get it, I don’t really care. I actually think the HuffPost can beat it. But if we do get it, it’ll just be added.”
Allen’s latest comments come as Allen Media Group continues growing its footprint across television, digital and streaming media. In addition to local television stations and national properties like The Weather Channel, Allen Media Group is also the parent company of Black news site, theGrio, and HBCU Go, a site dedicated to Black college sports, culture and entertainment.