Lebedev gave Evening Standard three years to achieve financial success.

KommentariiEsche not Evening16.01.2009Biznesmen Alexander Lebedev could buy the Evening Standard newspaper in just one funtRossiysky businessman Alexander Lebedev, bought the London newspaper The Evening Standard, will be forced to close if the issue did not start a profit within three years. This, he said in an interview published Sunday by The Sunday Telegraph.
According to Lebedev, his condition over the past six months has decreased by half, and he simply will not be able to maintain the newspaper longer than that period, if the markets continue to fall. At the same time, billionaire assured that during the three years within the publication, he had no intention of closing. In addition, Lebedev said that the newspaper did not intend to use for political purposes, and bought it solely for profit.
The Sunday Telegraph also reported that Lebedev intends to form an editorial board of celebrities, to determine the further development of the newspaper. In particular, he referred to Tony Blair, Mikhail Gorbachev, the soloist U2 Bono and writer Joanne Rowling, but stressed that any negotiations with them have not yet been conducted.
On that based Alexander Lebedev and his son Eugene acquisitions "for a nominal sum" 75.1 percent stake in loss-making is currently the newspaper The Evening Standard, was reported on 21 January. The nominal amount, as was previously thought, was only one pound, said The Sunday Telegraph.