But at the end of the process , which attracted interest from Gannett , William Dean Singleton 's MediaNews Group and various private equity groups , only McClatchy made a formal bid : valuing the company at $ 4.5 billion , it would buy Knight Ridder through a combination of cash and stock .
William Dean Singleton
MediaNews Group
/business/person/company
ORGANIZATION
Gannett
PERSON
William Dean Singleton
ORGANIZATION
MediaNews Group
PERSON
Knight Ridder