Interest in the country’s largest radio company is growing, The Post has learned.
Private equity firm Silver Lake Partners has recently shown interest in buying the bankrupt iHeartMedia operation — challenging John Malone, according to two sources familiar with the situation.
Silver Lake is in talks with iHeart creditors, the sources said, which are in line to take over control of the company once it emerges from Chapter 11.
If Silver Lake were to make an offer for iHeart — and buy the San Antonio company — it may look to form a partnership between the owner of 103.5 WKTU in New York and 102.7 KIIS-FM in Los Angeles and arena venue manager Oak View Group.
iHeart bought a stake earlier this year in Oak View, which manages the New York’s new Islanders arena and for a fee books events into Madison Square Garden, the Prudential Center and Los Angeles’ Forum.
Silver Lake, too, owns a leading stake in the Ari Emanuel-run Endeavor, a leading talent and marketing agency, a combination of the former WME and IMG.
iHeart, when it was known as Clear Channel, bought arena manager SFX Entertainment in 2000 for $4.4 billion. Clear Channel spun out SFX, which changed its name to Live Nation, in 2005.
While it owned SFX, Clear Channel would promote acts that were appearing at SFX- managed arenas.
