Conrad Black's former partner David Radler finds himself running one of Canada's oldest newspapers following the surprise departure of its publisher.
He has taken charge of the Victoria Times Colonist in succession to Bob McKenzie, who stepped aside last week after nine years in the chair.
According to a Globe & Mail report, Radler could be at the helm for some time. It quotes an internal memo as saying: "The publisher's position is likely to remain open for a while."
Radler and Black together ran the Hollinger media group, which owned the Telegraph titles in Britain. They were both charged in 2004 in the United States with fraud. Radler pleaded guilty to several counts and was sentenced to 29 months in jail. He testified against Black, who denied the charges but was eventually convicted and served 42 months in prison.
Since his release, Radler has gradually become an acquisitive newspaper publisher again. He runs the Alberta group, which owns three daily newspapers and dozens of smaller publications. It is a subsidiary of Glacier Media, which bought the Victoria Times Colonist and a handful of weekly papers from Postmedia in 2011.
Radler also runs Continental Newspapers, which also publishes three daily papers.
Meanwhile, Black is regaining his high media profile by writing columns in the Toronto-based National Post and is set to host a weekly TV talk show.
Sources: Globe & Mail/Times Colonist
