‘I Will Destroy You’: The Battle Inside a Midwestern Media Dynasty

The twin heirs to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Toledo Blade are estranged as their industry transforms

John Robinson Block got a shocking phone call from his twin brother, Allan, in 2023.

The editor in chief and publisher of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Toledo Blade, John Robinson had recently requested financial records for the family company, Block Communications. He and the board were interested in establishing a valuation of the media business with the aim of potentially selling it.

Allan’s message during that call was clear: Stop.

“I will destroy you,” Allan, the company’s chief executive, told his brother, according to a court filing from John Robinson. Allan didn’t want to sell because he felt the timing was poor and believed he was being frozen out of the decision-making process.

In an interview, Allan denied threatening his brother and said he treated him with affection.