The name John Georges has long been synonymous with wealth in Louisiana. His recent business moves show his sights are set on power as well, and southeast Louisiana’s media is in danger of slowly being absorbed by the ever expanding Georges Enterprises.
Georges, publisher of The Advocate, is already in a position of power in Baton Rouge. Businessreport.com went so far as to call him the Baton Rouge’s “newest power broker” in May after he first purchased The Advocate.
But if there’s anything those in power can’t get enough of, it’s more power, and his recent moves indicate he has his eyes set on New Orleans and possibly all of southeast Louisiana as well.
After Georges bought The Advocate, one of his first orders of business was announcing the expansion of the New Orleans edition of the paper — a move clearly aimed at gathering the turf that The Times-Picayune gave up when it cut back its print edition.
Then on June 25, his paper announced a partnership with WWL-TV, one of the largest local news stations in New Orleans and southeast Louisiana, granting him even more influence in the Crescent City.
While the healthy competition should be welcome in a city long controlled by The Times-Picayune, readers of The Advocate should keep in mind that Georges’ long term plans for the newspaper have yet to be seen.
Looking into Georges’ past, it wasn’t long ago that he was more interested in politics than publishing.
In 2007, he took a shot at running for governor of Louisiana, coming up short against Jindal.
In 2010, he again tried his hand at running for office, but this time for mayor of New Orleans. He came in a distant third.
Additionally, he has worked for the Louisiana Board of Regents, an organization in charge of overseeing public higher education in the state, and the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad.
What implications does this have for Louisiana?
Nothing yet. Whether Georges’ plans include another shot at politics remain to be seen.
But if they do, finding an unbiased view of the election may be all but impossible.
Georges’ Advocate would advocate Georges, staying too true to its name.
Other local papers, such as The Times-Picayune, would likely back Georges’ opposition in an attempt to prevent The Advocate from becoming more powerful and ultimately encroaching on more of their territory.
So in the event of such a newspaper face-off, all Louisiana newspaper readers would be wise to keep in mind which way their publication of choice will be pulling and adjust their interpretations accordingly.
Robert Klare is a 22-year-old engineering senior from New Orleans.