News that the Seattle P-I is looking for a buyer got us wondering if there might be a white knight out there somewhere in Seattle's technology ranks. Since the PI does not own a printing press or any of the distribution systems that go with it (trucks, customer service reps, etc), the print product will almost certainly die. But the Web site -- which attracts millions of page views every month -- is another story.

If the P-I does stick around as an online-only property, here's a list of a dozen players from the Seattle tech community who could help make the transition to what would be the country's first all digital metro daily. Of course, the turbulent economy has put a big dent in the pocket books of even some of the richest Seattleites. So, taking a flyer on a new media venture at this time might not be in the cards for any of the names below.

Still, running a media outfit is part vanity project, so maybe, just maybe someone who wants to experiment with online journalism will step forward.

Russell Horowitz: The Marchex founder is attempting to build the leading local search and advertising company. What better way to test those concepts than with an online news site in the former Go2Net CEO's hometown of Seattle.

Tom Alberg and David Brewster: Madrona Venture Group co-founder Tom Alberg's personal investment in the online news site Crosscut.com could look a little brighter if it were combined with the P-I's traffic base.  It would be fascinating to see Alberg (pictured) and former Seattle Weekly publisher David Brewster make a play for the assets, incorporating many of the lessons they've learned over the past two years. They could even pursue the non-profit online journalism concept that they started kicking around at Crosscut a few weeks ago. Maybe that's the best path for the P-I anyway.

David Schneiderman: The former Village Voice publisher understands old media. And he gets new media, consulting with Seattle technology startups. In fact, he's worked with AdReady, whose self-service display advertising service would be a perfect fit for a streamlined digital newspaper.

Brian McAndrews: It would be fascinating to see what an online advertising executive like McAndrews (who just signed on as the speaker for the TechFlash launch event) could pull off with a local news site like the P-I. McAndrews cashed out big time after he sold aQuantive to Microsoft for $6 billion. And he recently announced plans to leave Microsoft, setting off speculation as to what's next.

Mike Davidson: If the P-I goes fully online, it will need someone who understands social media. Davidson, who sold Newsvine to MSNBC in October 2007, is that guy. At Newsvine, he built a popular community news service by tapping the knowledge of contributors. And he did it with a staff of about six people. It also would be an easy commute, since Davidson's MSNBC operation continues to be based on the first floor of the P-I building. Maybe he would even keep the globe spinning.

Mike Slade and Nick Hanauer: The founders of Second Avenue Partners get new media (they were early investors in Davidson's Newsvine) and online advertising (Hanauer founded and bankrolled aQuantive.) That could be a powerful combo, especially when mixed with Slade's experience running media properties like ABCNews.com and ESPN.com in the 90s and Hanauer's civic minded mentality. The venture capitalists also have the panache to pull it off.

Rich Barton: The Zillow.com founder likes to say that his new online real estate startup is a media company. No better way to prove it than trying out a foray into local journalism. Zillow, in fact, has experimented with hyperlocal community-oriented news. Obviously, Barton -- who previously led Expedia -- has his hands full trying to manage the ups and downs of the turbulent real estate industry.

Cory and Kate Bergman: The husband-and-wife team run MyBallard.com, the popular local news blog for Seattle's north end. Cory, who works at MSNBC, and Kate, a producer at KING-5, have the technical and news chops to pull it off. Their experience in TV also would serve the online news site well, highlighting the importance of video in news coverage.

Paul Allen: Every time one of the daily newspapers in town gets in financial trouble, someone invokes the name of the Microsoft co-founder. There's no real evidence that the billionaire has any interest in running an online newspaper or that he would be good at it.

At one point, Allen owned The Sporting News. But he sold it to American City Business Journals (publisher of TechFlash) in 2006. Still, Allen could use Seattlepi.com to not only promote his other ventures in town (Seattle Seahawks, EMP and South Lake Union) but also as a place to test some of the new technologies coming out of Vulcan.

That's our short list. Maybe one person -- or a group of folks -- will band together. Or, maybe not. After all, Peter Kafka of All Things Digital says the P-I can't make it as a general online only news site, citing its 2.5 million unique visitors per month.

Let us know if there's anyone else who would be a good fit  -- or if you think the P-I's Web site is even worth saving.

Coming up next. Our thoughts on what should be done with the online assets.