A top Turkish businessman with close ties to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is to buy Turkey's largest media holding, a statement said Thursday, raising fears of a new tightening of government control on the press. Dogan Holding said talks had begun on the sale of Dogan Media Group to the Demiroren Group of magnate Erdogan Demiroren for around $1 billion (810 million euros).
Dogan Media Group comprises some of Turkey's most prestigious media names including the Hurriyet daily newspaper, the Fanatik sports daily, the CNN-Turk rolling news service and the Kanal-D channel. The respected CNN-Turk and Hurriyet had been regarded as holding a relatively independent editorial line in recent years, as the space for voices critical of Erdogan shrunk.
However, the Demiroren Holding, which has interests in energy, property and construction, is seen as more friendly to Erdogan.