robb said:
Get a life. Rumors happen everyday. Somehow I dont think a message board post will be legally binding in terms of anyone getting fired because of a confidentiality issue.
Actually it can. As a media broker, consultant and legal professional, I deal with these type situations regularly.
For the purpose of radio and the media, a Non Disclosure Agreement, or what is more commonly known as an NDA, is a legal binding contract entered into among a seller and a potential buyer of any media property before any confidential information is exchanged between the parties involved in a negotiation. Quite simply the NDA states that any information given to a potential buyer, including the fact that a property is for sale, is held in the highest and strictest of confidence, and nothing is to be disclosed to anyone not associated with the potential transaction.
However there are normal exemptions to the terms of the 'Non disclosure" which may include the potential buyer's accountants, attorneys, brokers, financial advisors, bankers, etc., who have a direct involvement in any part of the negotiations. Should any confidential information become public prior to a signed deal and a property's closing, there may be potential civil liabilty on the part of the person who breached the terms of the NDA, if, in this case, the seller is damaged in any way as a result of the NDA breach. An example of potential damages would be loss of advertising revenue due to advertisers discontinuing doing business with the station in question for any number of reasons associated with the impending sale; or employees suddenly finding employement elsewhere out of fear they will be terminated upon the new owners taking over the operations. Either of these possible scenarios will cause direct damage to the seller.
If a person not a party to the negotiations, such as an employee, who did not sign an NDA, discloses any confidential information, they may be subject to a suit, but at the very least, said employee can be terminated with cause. Those are the facts regarding confidentiality and Non Disclosure Agreements.