Block Communications Inc. (also known as Blade Communications) is an American privately held holding company of various assets, mainly in the print and broadcast media, based in Toledo, Ohio. The company was founded in 1900 in New York City when Paul Block, a German-Jewish immigrant who came to the United States in 1885, formed an ad representation firm for newspapers. The Block empire grew to encompass many newspapers on the east coast of the US, however with the Great Depression in the 1930s came the loss of all but three properties: the ad representation firm, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and the Toledo Blade (where Block eventually settled the company upon its purchase in 1927). After Block's death in 1941, his children took over the company. They eventually passed it on to their grandchildren, who continue to operate it to this day. In May 2024, a lawsuit to stop the sale of the company, and over control it, revealed that Allan Block and John Block each own 25%, while the other 50% is owned by family trusts that benefit family members.[1][2][3]

Logo of Block/Blade Communications

Company holdings

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Newspapers

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Television

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Broadcast

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Louisville, Kentucky

Lima/Findlay, Ohio

(*) – Serve as translators for WOHL to expand its coverage across the West Ohio TV market

Other markets

Cable

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Online

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  • Buckeye Access (Dial up Internet)[9]
  • MaxxSouth Broadband
  • TeleSystem (formerly Buckeye Telesystem) [10]
  • Line Systems[11] (Acquired July 2014 and now a division of Telesystem) [12]

Non-Media

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  • Metro Fiber & Cable Construction Company (a Toledo-based contractor of fiber optic installation)

Former properties

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References

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  1. ^ "Lawsuit seeks to stop potential sale of Toledo Blade, Buckeye Broadband". 2024-06-15. Archived from the original on 2024-06-15.
  2. ^ Batz Jr, Bob Batz; Mellon, Steve (10 May 2024). "Pittsburgh news strike leader reacts to PG co-owner's family lawsuit". Pittsburgh Union Progress. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  3. ^ "Ohio Media Executive Allan Block Fired by Family After Lawsuit to Stop Sale". Bloomberg. 2024-05-21. Archived from the original on 2024-05-21.
  4. ^ "Phipps flips Lima low-power cluster". Television Business Report. November 29, 2008. Archived from the original on June 1, 2009. Retrieved December 1, 2008.
  5. ^ Sowinski, Greg (December 2, 2008). "WLIO owner buys Fox affiliate, other stations for $2.4 million". The Lima News. Archived from the original on 2008-12-06. Retrieved December 2, 2008.
  6. ^ About us – Hometown Stations.com
  7. ^ Buckeye Cable
  8. ^ Buckeye Express
  9. ^ Buckeye Access
  10. ^ TeleSystem
  11. ^ Line Systems
  12. ^ Block acquires Line Systems - TeleSystem.us
  13. ^ [1] Archived January 8, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
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