Rumor has it that Japan’s Softbank Corp, which has already picked up Comdex and Ziff-Davis among other things since it began its push into the US, may have its eye on CMP Publications next. Privately-held CMP may be ready to sell a 20% stake, or more; its founders are aging and the only other alternative to avoid those nasty 50% inheritance taxes is to go public. Such a sale, observers say, would be accounted as a capital gain at a more reasonable 28% tax rate. CMP’s owners have admitted they’ve had offers in the past but have always said they wanted the business to stay a family affair. Since Ziff was acquired, it’s being run much more with the bottom line in mind. CMP, big as it is, is pretty much a one-man show. There’s a hiring freeze at CMP right now.
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