At least five groups are believed to have submitted bids to buy the Boston Globe, according to several people involved in or briefed on the offers.
The bidders, whose offers were due Thursday at 5 p.m., include several of the names previously reported. Among them is former Time Inc. chief executive Jack Griffin and two members of the Taylor family, which used to own the Globe. A bid was also submitted by former Globe president Rick Daniels and his partner Heb Ryan, a Boston private equity executive.
Other bidders, according to people with knowledge of the offers, include Robert Loring, founder of Revolution Capital in Los Angeles and owner of the Tampa Tribune; and John J. Gormally Jr. of Gormally Broadcasting in Springfield, owner of TV broadcast stations and BusinessWest Magazine.
Also on the list is Boston lawyer Shannon Liss-Riordan, who submitted a bid that she’s been working on with Thomas W. Janes, founder of Kerry Capital Advisors, a Boston-based private equity firm, according to those familiar with the bid.
A sixth group that has expressed interest in bidding is Red Sox owner John Henry and his Fenway Sports Group, which owns the New England Sports Network, the Liverpool Football Club and other properties. The New York Times Co., which is selling the Globe, previously owned a stake in the Red Sox.
Henry’s group has held meetings about the current sale effort, according to people briefed on the matter.
The Times Co. is selling the Globe and its web sites -- BostonGlobe.com and boston.com -- as part of its sale of the New England Media Group. That group also includes the Worcester Telegram & Gazette and its web site, as well as the Globe’s direct mail marketing business and a 49 percent interest in the Metro Boston newspaper.
There could be other bidders that could not be confirmed. The Times Co. declined to comment for this story and would not say how many bids had been received.
The dollar amounts of the bids were not immediately known. Prior estimates have ranged from $70 million to $120 million. That includes the value of the Globe’s building and property on Morrissey Boulevard, which has been estimated at $30 million to $70 million.
Liss-Riordan’s bid would involve taking on the Globe’s pension liabilities, according to two people with direct knowledge of the plan. The Times Co. has said it would keep the pension liabilities and asked for bids not to include them.
The Kraft group is not among the bidders, as previously reported.
Beth Healy can be reached at bhealy@globe.com.
