Philadelphia Media Network sale getting weirder, Philly’s wide digital divide, promoting Silverliner V cars, former Reed’s is the classiest CVS

Developer Bart Blatstein announced that he has assembled a group of investors as Philly Hometown Media to pursue the acquisition of the Philadelphia Media Network (PMN). That’s what reporter David Gambacorta wrote on the Daily News’ Philly Clout blog Tuesday afternoon, but within hours the post was replaced with a tight-lipped denial of that scenario. WHYY’s Dave Davies wondered if PMN was muzzling their reporter. Philebrity called foul. JimRomenesko.com has an excerpt of the original post, and more deets on the sale. Poynter.org reports that PMN spokesman Mark Block requested the change, stating that Philly Hometown Media is not one of the active bidders on PMN, as implied by the post. As the Philadelphia Media Network brass fights with their own newsroom over how to cover the PMN sale, it seems that Blatstein is getting used to his office in the Inquirer Building’s tower.

The digital divide is still wide in Philadelphia, reports Technically Philly. Comcast was federally mandated to provide a low-cost internet package to improve internet access for low-income families. But of the 150,000 households in Philly that qualify for Comcast’s Internet Essentials program, only 463 families have taken advantage.

Have you ridden a new Silverliner V? SEPTA invites you to “test ride one today” in a new ad campaign. Anthony Campisi reports for PlanPhilly that SEPTA timed its new ad campaign for the Philadelphia Auto Show, running ads on philly.com and on billboards along Roosevelt Boulevard, I-95 and the PA Turnpike. About half of the new Silverliner Vs are on the rails.

Alan Jaffe takes a closer look at Jacob Reed’s Sons store on Chestnut Street for PlanPhilly, and finds many original features still intact. Reed’s was a clothing shop, built in 1904, designed by the firm Price and McLanahan with an Italian palazzo in mind and Arts & Crafts flourishes. Its stained and leaded glass, Mercer tiles, and interior murals make the ground floor storefront the nicest CVS ever.

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