76% of the company is privately held - by at least 35 members of the Bancroft family. The Bancroft family's super shares have 10 times the voting power of the Class A shares. The family is not voting as a unit - about 80% of the family's shares are in the No column - so far.

The Ford family owns 40% of the voting shares. There are rumors, denied by a family spokesman, that they're open to selling.

The Ochs-Sulzberger family owns 70% of the company. From the Wikipedia article: The Ochs-Sulzberger family, one of the country's great newspaper dynasties, have owned the Times since 1896. After the publisher went public in the 1960s, the family continued to exert control through its ownership of the vast majority of Class B voting shares. Class A shareholders cannot vote on many important matters relating to the company, while Class B shareholders can vote on all matters.

The family of the late E. T. Meredith III -- grandson of the company's founder -- controls 71% of the company. Meredith is based in Des Moines, Iowa. They publish Parents, Child, Fitness, and Family Circle, Better Homes and Gardens, Ladies Home Journal, and other magazines, and own a number of TV stations.

The Dolan Family (Charles, James, and Patrick), own 73% of the company. Cablevision owns the Madison Square Garden arena in New York City, including the professional sports teams that play there—the New York Knicks, New York Rangers, and New York Liberty. The same company also owns the Hartford Wolf Pack, a minor-league professional hockey team affiliated with the Rangers, and operates (but does not own) two Connecticut sports venues, the Hartford Civic Center Coliseum and Rentschler Field. Cablevision's sports holdings also include TV rights for the Knicks, Rangers, Liberty, New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils and Red Bull New York. These games are aired on their MSG Network and FSN New York cable channels. Cablevision previously had the rights to the New York Yankees, New Jersey Nets and New York Mets, who left to start their own channels. Cablevision previously attempted to purchase the Yankees, Mets and Boston Red Sox, in part, to control their broadcast rights. Cablevision also owns Fox Sports Net affiliates in other markets.

Co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and the chief executive Eric Schmidt ­ hold a privileged class of stock that gives them 76% of the voting power.

Co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and the chief executive Eric Schmidt ­ hold a privileged class of stock that gives them 76% of the voting power.

The Lauder family (Ronald, Aerin, Leonard, and William) control 88% of this world renowned cosmetics company. Ronald, through the Estee Lauder Foundation, is involved with many Jewish charitable organizations, including a successful effort to reestablish Jewish communities in central and Eastern Europe.