Tribune Publishing wins auction for Orange County Register parent

The owner of the Los Angeles Times was selected as the top bidder for the Orange County Register and Riverside Press-Enterprise during a bankruptcy auction.

If the $56-million cash purchase of Freedom Communications is approved at a hearing in bankruptcy court on March 21, it would mark a deep expansion in Southern California for Tribune Publishing. The company, which last year bought the San Diego Union-Tribune, is looking to extend its reach in Southern California and save money by streamlining some business operations at a time when newspapers struggle to remain profitable. Tribune Publishing beat out two other bidders vying for Freedom, including Digital First Media, a national newspaper chain whose holdings include the Los Angeles Daily News and eight other Southern California newspapers. An insider group, which includes Freedom co-owner and Chief Executive Rich Mirman and Orange County developer Mike Harrah, withdrew from the process after hours of negotiations and just before the auction’s official start. The group complained about the fairness of the process, including how their bid was valued