• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, October 20, 2010

After being put on, and later withdrawn, from the auction block by the New York Times Co. in 2009, the Boston Globe may be back in play. The newspaper reported that a group of Boston-area investors and management experts, calling themselves the 2100 Trust, were preparing an offer to buy the NYTCO's entire New England Media Unit, including The Boston Globe, The Worcester Telegram & Gazette and associated Web properties.

As of Wednesday afternoon, few details were available about the composition of the 2100 Trust, except that it is led by Aaron Kushner, an entrepreneur from Wellesley, MA, whose previous experience includes seven years as CEO of Marian Heath Greeting Cards, according to the Boston Herald.

Last year, three rival bids for The Boston Globe were rejected by NYTCO as unsatisfactory, including a bid from Platinum Equity offering $35 million (as well as assuming $59 million in pension liabilities), and unknown counteroffers from Bain Capital and a team composed of former Hill Holliday boss Jack Conners and Stephen Taylor, co-owner of the Celtics and scion of the Taylor family, which sold the Boston paper to NYTCO 1993.

This time, the would-be buyers struck a surprisingly optimistic note in a letter announcing their bid, given the well-publicized woes of the newspaper industry: "We believe that The Boston Globe's strongest days can be ahead. It is essential that the Globe be positioned for its next 100 years. This will require the significant long-term investment that we intend to make.

"One of the principal areas of investment will be the newsroom, which is due for a significant increase." The investors emphasized: "Our focus is on the role The Boston Globe can and should play within our community."