Meredith Bid for Time Inc. Said to Be Backed by Koch Brothers<br />Earlier this year, Meredith was said to have been among parties interested in buying Time<br />Inc. Those discussions ended when Time Inc. said it did not want to sell itself.<br />Time Inc. is said to be in talks to sell itself to the Meredith Corporation, in a deal backed by Charles G.<br />and David H. Koch, the billionaire brothers known for supporting conservative causes.<br />The latest talks between Meredith and Time Inc. show the Koch brothers’ willingness to give their<br />media ambitions another shot after they explored purchasing the Tribune Company in 2013.<br />Talks between Time Inc., the publisher of Time and People,<br />and Meredith, the publisher of Family Circle and Better Homes and Gardens, fizzled this year.<br />In 2013, a deal collapsed when the two publishers could not agree on which magazines Meredith would buy.<br />It is not clear how much influence — if any — the Kochs would have on a Meredith-owned Time Inc. if the deal were to go through.<br />The new round of negotiations, motivated by the surprise entry of the Kochs,<br />could lead to a quick deal, according to people involved in the discussions.
