Stars Owner Tom Hicks "expects" MLB to approve his
purchase of the Rangers at a June 12 owners' meeting in
Seattle, an action that will allow him "to proceed with his
plans to assemble his sports assets into one company,"
according to Alm & Kirkpatrick of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS.
Hicks said that he "still intends to package" the Rangers,
Stars, an "as-yet-to-be-created [RSN] and perhaps other
assets into a public company." The company will "be
financed privately initially" but Hicks said "[a]t the right
time, we'll consider accessing the public so our fans can
own some of the teams with us." An IPO "may" come in the
next 12-36 months (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 5/23). In Toronto,
Damien Cox called the Stars "one of the NHL big boys now,"
and that if Hicks "has his way, they'll soon be a giant."
(TORONTO STAR, 5/25). In Ft. Worth, Simon Gonzalez wrote
that the Stars have sold out every playoff game thus far and
are the "hottest thing around." Stars President Jim Lites
said "if [TV] and attendance are indicators," the team is
"getting closer to" the MLB Rangers in popularity, and is
"past basketball, by a long shot" (STAR-TELEGRAM, 5/26).
WHO'S DOING HIS PR? In N.Y., Carlos Tejada wrote that
Hicks' new consolidated sports company "would seek
advertising with the promise of a national network of radio
and [TV] outlets and possibly billboards," and would "give
the laconic Mr. Hicks an impressive sports and media empire"
(WALL STREET JOURNAL, 5/26). Hicks was also profiled by
Allen Myerson of the N.Y. TIMES, who wrote that Hicks "has
transformed" the Stars into a Stanley Cup contender, and
"plans to pit" Fox against Disney/ESPN "[t]o compete for
rights to carry" the Rangers and Stars on cable through a
partnership with his planned RSN (N.Y. TIMES, 5/25).
