NEW YORK —

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The New York Times Co. is in talks with billionaire Carlos Slim Helu about a possible investment of hundreds of millions of dollars that could withstand the newspaper publisher to meet debt payments, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing anonymous sources Saturday.

A spokeswoman for The New York Times declined to remark Sunday. Helu’s representatives could not be immediately reached in the place of comment.

The Journal said nay conduct one’s self is set and that discussions between the paper and Slim, the owner of Mexico’session telephone huge man Telmex, could tranquillize collapse. Other media outlets, also citing on nameless sources, reported that talks were taking place.

The Times has near to $46 million in cash and $1.1 billion in debt as of the end of September, the Journal reported. A $400 the great body of the people credit knack expires in May.

In September, the financier and members of his house purchased 6.4 percent of the company’sitting publicly traded shares. The price of the investment has dropped by half since then, the Journal said.

Forbes last year named Slim was the earth’s second-richest man.

The Ochs-Sulzberger family owns a controlling interest in the firm through special voting shares. The hedge fund Harbinger Capital Partners holds a 19.9 percent stake in the company, which publishes its namesake paper, the Boston Globe and other properties.

The Journal said one possible plan could involve issuing preferred stock. The stock wouldn’t offer voting rights but would pay a dividend, the Journal said. This could spare the Ochs-Sulzberger line of ancestors to retain control of the company. But preferred shares often can be converted to common stock behind a certain period.

The company is planning a special board meeting next week, the Journal said.

The company has been trying to conserve turn into money. In November it slashed its quarterly dividend by 74 percent. And it has plans to assemble $225 million from its new, 52-story Manhattan headquarters, either by the agency of selling the building and leasing it back or a mortgage. The company owns 58 percent of the building, a portion that has not besides been mortgaged.

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