Cablevision and Madison Square Garden have ripped the Daily News and publisher Mort Zuckerman, claiming the paper is engaging in a campaign of “extortion ” to force a merger between the News and Cablevision-owned Newsday.
“Mr. Zuckerman is engaging in a campaign of intimidation and extortion to effect a merger between Newsday and the Daily News,” according to a statement from Cablevision and MSG.
The latest uproar was triggered by a front page story titled “Ticket to Hide,” in which the News claims that the MSG-owned Knicks deliberately hid news of the severity of Jeremy Lin’s knee injury until after the deadline had passed for season ticket holders to purchase playoff tickets.
The Knicks guard who inspired “Linsanity” has a torn meniscus in his left knee and will be out for an extended period of time.
“Today’s story in the New York Daily News is just another in a long list of articles and cover stories designed to provoke Cablevision and the Madison Square Garden Co.,” the companies said in a statement.
Cablevision and MSG are controlled by the family of James Dolan, who serves as the president of Cablevision and executive chairman of MSG.
The companies said that as recently as March 6, at a lunch meeting at the Four Seasons, “Mr. Zuckerman once again made his proposal, this time adding that ‘the bad press would end if we became joint owners’ (a direct quote).”
Dolan said in a statement, “I understand that there will always be those who are critical of anyone who owns a controlling interest in three New York sports franchises. But Mr. Zuckerman’s attempts to parlay this into a favorable arrangement could not be more misguided.”
A spokesperson for the News didn’t immediately return calls. Zuckerman couldn’t be reached at presstime.
kkelly@nypost.com