Stewart Bainum Jr., Chairman of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) reportedly is weighing a bid for all of Tribune Publishing Company (NasdaqGM:TPCO) just a month after his nonprofit agreed to acquire Tribune's The Baltimore Sun and two other papers in Maryland. A public charity formed by Bainum, the Sunlight for All Institute, in February agreed to acquire The Baltimore Sun and affiliated community newspapers in Maryland from Alden Capital after Alden merged with Chicago-based Tribune Publishing, the Sun's owner. According to a report in The New York Times, the Maryland businessman since has asked to be released from a nondisclosure agreement in order to enter discussions with other partners for a new bid.

The shift comes as Bainum and Alden Capital have struggled to reach operating agreements for the papers that would go into effect after the transfer from Alden to Bainum's nonprofit, the Times reported. Bainum's nonprofit was expected to pay $65 million for the Maryland papers, according to the Times report. Alden, which already owns a 32% stake in Tribune Publishing, has agreed to merge with the newspaper company, which publishes The Chicago Tribune, The Daily News (New York) and the Orlando Sentinel, among others, in a deal that values it at $630 million.

The New York Times cited two sources who say that Bainum would put in $100 million to bid on the full Tribune company and then seek investments from others, including potential local owners for the company's other papers.