ZIFF-DAVIS SOLD TO NY FINANCIERS

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Ziff-Davis Publishing Company, publisher of PC Magazine -- fave of DOS dweebs -- was bought for $1.4 billion by Forstmann Little & Co, a New York investment firm run by high profile banker Ted Forstmann. Included in the deal is the giant publishing arm of Ziff Communications, which includes other magazines like MacWeek and Family PC, as well as Ziffnet, an on-line service. It's a move by Forstmann, a shrewd dealmaker, to keep pace with rival Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, which controls New York magazine and other media properties, says TIME associate editor Thomas McCarroll. "They have had this rivalry for a long time," says McCarroll. Expect Forstmann to squeeze margins and "in three to four years, sell it," McCarroll says. One of the implications of this buyout: According to Forstmann's announcement, Ziff-Davis will continue to be based in New York City even though it recently considered a move to Colorado. "They probably want to keep it under their wings right here," says McCarroll. For