• BusinessWeek, Tuesday, September 15, 2009 10:24 PM

The list of suitors for BusinessWeek got a little shorter yesterday, with Bruce Wasserstein deciding against making a final bid for the magazine. Wasserstein, the CEO of financial giant Lazard, owns the business weekly The Deal and a substantial stake in business publisher Penton Media. He also owns New York magazine, which he bought in 2003.

Wasserstein's exit places Bloomberg LP as perhaps the candidate to beat. Final bids for BusinessWeek were due yesterday, although some insiders suggest that that deadline may be somewhat porous. The other companies known to have made preliminary, nonbinding bids and which thus may be placing final bids are: ZelnickMedia, OpenGate Capital, Platinum Equity, Warburg Pincus, and Inc. and Fast Company owner Joe Mansueto. Three other undisclosed parties also placed preliminary bids.

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