The print media world is evolving rapidly. Newspapers and magazines are changing their areas and methods of distribution, frequency, consolidating titles, converting to web only products and closing publications. Emerging titles are filling in some of these gaps in the print landscape. ACGMedia strives to keep its clients and vendors updated on these changes within the evolving print media environment.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Huron Daily Tribune Changes Distribution Days
Washington Times Ceases Sunday Edition
Monday, December 21, 2009
Heartland Publications Files for Chapter 11
Reporting by Sakthi Prasad in Bangalore; Editing by Jon Loades-Carter
December 21, 2009
As of Oct. 31, 2009, Heartland Publications reported about $134.3 million in total assets and about $166.2 million in total liabilities, court documents show.
Heartland Publications currently owns 50 community newspapers mainly in the Southern part of the United States.
The company said due to declining revenue, it had initiated cost saving measures and has budgeted a $1.3 million decrease in operating expenses for 2009.
For the trailing twelve months ended Oct. 31, 2009, the company recorded a revenue of about $55.2 million and it expects revenue for the 2009 calendar year to fall about 11.6 percent.
Most newspaper publishers including The New York Times Co, McClatchy Co and Gannett Co Inc, have been reporting declining ad revenue and circulation on the back of a weakening economy and growing competition from the Internet.
The case is In re: Heartland Publications LLC, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Delaware, No. 09-14459."
Friday, December 18, 2009
Washington Blade & Southern Voice Closes
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Hopi Tutuveni Closes
One other employee works at the Tutuveni, which once employed four people.The council approved a 4 percent larger budget for last year than the current year, at $21.8 million.
The tribe plans to take in $18.5 million next year, according to the council's spokeswoman, Tina May.
She quoted one tribal council member who called the newspaper "ineffective."The council will set aside $471,113 for a new executive director position it has recently created -- in addition to a newly elected chairman and vice chairman.
Tribal employees will not receive raises to adjust salaries with inflation, May wrote.
Further, the council has called for a financial audit of every tribal village, and that the villages pay back taxes for overdue payroll taxes, if due.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Minneapolis Star Tribune emerges from bankruptcy - September 28, 2009
Out from Chapter 11, the Star Tribune can now make decisions without a judge's supervision, as Minnesota's largest newspaper and the nation's 14th largest on weekdays tries to ride out an advertising drought and boost revenue in print and online.
The move was largely expected after a federal bankruptcy judge in New York approved the Star Tribune's reorganization plan Sept. 17. The newspaper had filed for bankruptcy protection eight months earlier, saddled by debt from Avista Capital Partners' 2007 purchase of the newspaper from the McClatchy Co.
New board Chairman Michael Sweeney said today was "the first day of a new beginning" as the 142-year-old newspaper got "a new lease on our future."
Newsday Marketeer Closes
Friday, December 4, 2009
Northwest Arkansas Newspaper Merger
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Roscommon County Herald News Closes
Monday, November 30, 2009
East Valley Tribune May Have a Buyer
A Tucson newspaper publisher has a letter of intent to buy the East Valley Tribune and rescue the Mesa paper from closure. A letter of intent has been finalized between Freedom Communications, which owns the Tribune, and Randy Miller's Thirteenth Street Media.
Miller owns the Tucson Explorer newspaper. The Tribune confirmed the pending sale which includes Miller buying the Mesa paper's assets and debts. A price was not disclosed.
California-based Freedom is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and was planning on closing the Tribune at the end of the year if a buyer was not found.
The Explorer is a free weekly paper with a 50,000-reader circulation. Miller also owns the Telluride (Colo.) Daily Plant, a free daily newspaper. A statement by the Tribune said Miller would model the East Valley paper after the Explorer with a focus on local, suburban news.
Miller is expected to keep a "substantial number" of the Tribune's remaining 140 employees, according the Tribune's statement. The sale needs to be approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court handling Freedom's Chapter 11.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Boulder City Review Launched
Helena Adit to Close November 25
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Rogers Hometown News to Cease Publishing
Detroit Daily Press to Launch Nov 23rd
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Philadelphia Bulletin Changes Distribution Days
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Midwest City Sun Closed
Calhoun City Monitor Herald to Close
La Frontera Ceases Publication
The El Nuevo Heraldo (Brownsville, TX) has increased its distribution in an attempt to cover the hispanic communities in that area.
Danville Weekly Ceases Publishing
The Weekly covered Danville, California, and neighboring communites.
Stillwater Gazette Moves TMC Distribution Day
Mesa East Valley Tribune to Close December 31st
Publisher Julie Moreno broke the bad news at about 10:30 a.m., telling employees that the Mesa newspaper's parent company, Freedom Communications, has been unable to find a buyer for it, the company confirmed at about noon.
Freedom, which declared bankruptcy Sept. 1 awash in more than $1 billion in debt, had put the newspaper up for sale hoping to make some hard cash from the deal. But no serious buyer stepped forward before today's announcement.
"There were people who expressed interest," said Freedom spokeswoman Maya Pogoda. "However, none of the bids were suitable."
The closing makes the Tribune the second Arizona newspaper to shutter this year. In May, the state's oldest newspaper, the Tucson Citizen, was shut down by its owner, Gannett. The Citizen has since become a local blogging website for the media chain.
"This is probably the most difficult decision a company can make," Freedom CEO Burl Osborne said in a news release. "But ultimately, after considering all available options, this is the best alternative for our company."
It's not yet clear how many employees are still at the Tribune, but its closure will not be a cheap proposition. A source who attended the meeting said staffers were told they will be given severance packages equal to one week for every year of service they had with the company.
Freedom's other newspapers in the Phoenix area, including the Ahwatukee Foothills News and the Daily News-Sun in Sun City, will remain in tact, said Pogoda.
The Tribune has had a year of ups and downs. Early in the year, the newspaper laid off about 40 percent of its staff and reduced its number of days in print from seven to just three. The remaining staffers were also forced to take pay cuts and time off without pay.
But the newspaper also rode a wave of praise this year as it racked up numerous statewide and national awards for a series it ran last year focusing on crime and immigration enforcement by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. Among the awards was the highest given out to newspapers: the Pulitzer Prize. The Tribune was given the Pulitzer for local reporting in April.
In mid-September, the Tribune was put up for sale by its parent company, which bought the newspaper about a decade ago. Rumors of potential bidders spread in recent weeks, but no formal announcement was ever made.
Pogoda would not discuss specifics about the newspaper's finances, however she said "economic and industry" forces had played a role in its demise.
"They've tried for about a year to make certain changes to improve it," Pagoda said. "But they just weren't able to."
Monday, November 2, 2009
Central Arizona Zip Code Changes
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Macon Telegraph Changes to 44" Web
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Claremont Eagle News Re-Opens under new Ownership
Monday, October 26, 2009
Media News Group launches Longmont Ledger
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Henderson Home News & Boulder City News Cease Publishing
By Hubble Smith, Las Vegas Review-Journal
The Greenspun Media Group empire continued to shrink Wednesday with the announcement that the company was suspending publication of two Southern Nevada community newspapers, the Henderson Home News and Boulder City News.
The news follows Tuesday’s report that Greenspun has pulled the plug on its “News One at 9” broadcast on Las Vegas One television channel and last week’s cancellation of 702.tv, a Las Vegas-based news and entertainment video Web site.
The Boulder City News was established in 1937, when Boulder Dam was being built, and has a circulation of 7,500, according to the Nevada Press Association. Henderson Home News was established in 1951 and has 27,600 circulation.
“Given the present environment, we sadly have no choice but to take a break from the community newspaper business,” Bruce Deifik, president of Greenspun Corp., said in a company statement. “We apologize to our communities for the suddenness of this news, and we hope our many loyal readers will now turn to our websites and our other outstanding publications for their news needs.”
Calls to Tim O’Callaghan, co-publisher of Henderson Home News, were not returned. He’s the son of the late Mike O’Callaghan, former Nevada governor and a one-time owner of Henderson Home News.
While scaling back its local newspaper enterprise, Greenspun will continue to deliver local news content through its LasVegasSun.com Web site, affiliated interactive media and other regional publications, Deifik said.
Greenspun publishes the Las Vegas Sun in a joint operating agreement with the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Tribune Company Switching to 44" Web
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Rockland Courier Gazette Discontinues Tuesday Edition
Monday, October 12, 2009
Rock Springs Daily Rocket Miner adds Sunday Edition
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Lahontan Valley News & Fallon Eagle Standard Adds New TMC
Friday, October 2, 2009
Myrtle Beach Sun News Changes Page Size
1 col. – 1.67”
2 col. – 3.46”
3 col. – 5.25”
4 col. – 7.04”
5 col. – 8.83”
6 col. – 10.62”
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tea & Harrisburg Champions to Close October 1st
Friday, September 25, 2009
Chippewa County Advertiser Ceases Publication
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Robinson Newspapers switch from Wednesday to Friday
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Pensacola Gosport to Close
Mobile Press Register Changes to 43" Web
Monday, September 14, 2009
Triple Crown Media, Filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Today
In a prepackaged Chapter 11 filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, the Lexington, Ky.-based company listed assets of about $33 million and liabilities of about $86 million.
Triple Crown, which operates six daily Georgia newspapers and one weekly with a total daily circulation of about 95,000, has about 330 employees. It announced early last year that it was cutting its work force by 5 percent because of the economic downturn and increased paper and fuel costs.
The company's daily newspapers are the Gwinnett Daily Post, The Albany Herald, the Rockdale Citizen, the Newton Citizen, the Clayton News-Daily and the Henry Daily Herald. It also published the Jackson Progress-Argus Weekly.
Rhinelander AdPack to Close
Friday, September 11, 2009
Lenmoore Advance Closes, Hanford Sentinel ceases Sunday Distribution
The Hanford Sentinel, a daily LCCN publication, will be increasing its news coverage of the Lenmoore area to account for the closing. The Hanford Sentinel also announced that effective September 25th, 2009, it will cease publishing its Sunday edition. The Sentinel will instead be focusing on consolidating its Saturday and Sunday editions into a Weekend edition that will be distributed on Saturdays.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Seattle West Herald and Federal Way News Change page size
La Presse Threatens Closure
El Dia Houston Closes
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Las Vegas Review-Journal Converts to 44" Web
Toronto t.o.night Launches
Cleveland Sun Newspapers Consolidate
There were three cases where newspapers merged to form a new publication. The Brecksville Sun Courier and Strongsville Sun Star Courier were merged to form the Sun Star Courier. The Chagrin Falls Herald Sun and Solon Herald Sun merged to form the Chagrin Solon Sun. The Lakewood Sun Post and North Olmstead Sun Herald merged to form the Sun Post Herald.
Berea News Sun and the Parma Sun Post increased their respective trade areas.
Eight of the Sun Newspaper publications were eliminated: Euclid Sun Journal, West Geauga Sun, Twinsburg Sun, Nordonia Hills Sun, Bedford Sun Banner, Garfield Maple Sun, Brooklyn Sun Journal, West Side Sun.
Friday, September 4, 2009
New York Daily News
-images that are magazine quality
-color on every page (up to 144 pages on one pass)
-refreshed editorial environments
-new Sunday Lifestyle section
Attached please find our revised specification for ROP. Any ads scheduled from Monday October 5th forward, should be sent in the new size.
Sunday insert specifications remain unchanged (max 14” folded edge x 10.75” cut edge). Mid Week preprint can be accommodated at a max of 12” folded edge x 10” cut edge. We have be tracking mid week insert sizes and do not foresee any problems with any ACG account.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Winston-Salem Journal Changes Size to 44" Web
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Freedom Communications Seeks Bankruptcy Protection
Freedom, owner of eight television stations, has assets of as much as $1 billion and debt of more than $1 billion, it said today in Chapter 11 papers in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Delaware. The Irvine, California-based company’s revenue totaled $734 million last year, according to Moody’s Investors Service Inc.
The company said it filed to implement a pre-petition agreement it reached with its lender on a restructuring of its debt. A majority of the lenders will support a “pre-negotiated plan of reorganization,” Freedom said in a statement.
“Reaching this agreement with our lenders provides us with an orderly process to realign our balance sheet with the realities of today’s media environment,” Freedom CEO Burl Osborne said in the statement.
The average weekday circulation of the Orange County Register in the six months through March fell 12 percent from the year-earlier period to 233,626, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations. That compares with a 7.1 percent industrywide decline.
Freedom’s Gazette of Colorado Springs, Colorado, in the period lost 2.4 percent of its weekday circulation, to 91,599.
Newspaper Bankruptcies
U.S. newspaper publishers including Tribune Co., owner of the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune, and Journal Register Co., owner of 20 daily newspapers, previously filed for bankruptcy as the recession speeds declines in ad spending and more readers seek news from the Internet.
Industrywide ad revenue fell 29 percent to $6.82 billion in the second quarter from $9.6 billion a year earlier, according to figures released by the Newspaper Association of America. Ad sales dropped 28 percent in the first quarter, the Arlington, Virginia-based trade group said.
The drought has forced publishers to cut jobs, wages and sections, and boost newsstand prices. Ad sales make up more than half of revenue for publishers including New York Times Co. and Gannett Co.
U.S. advertising revenue for media and entertainment companies will decline through 2010, not returning to growth until 2012, when marketers increase spending on the Internet, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP said. The New York-based accounting firm predicts print-ad sales will continue to fall until 2013.
Blackstone Group LP owns a 27 percent stake in Freedom and Providence Equity Partners Inc. holds about 18 percent.
The case is In re Freedom Communications, 09-13046, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Delaware (Wilmington).
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Collierville Herald adds Thursday TMC Product
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Greer Citizen Switches to Wednesday Publication
Monday, August 24, 2009
Allentown Morning Call Changes to 46" web
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Boca Raton News Shut Down
Friday, August 21, 2009
Windsor Now Changes to Sunday Distribution
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Jefferson City News Tribune/Capital News Consolidates Evening and Morning Editions
Monday, August 17, 2009
Bakersfield Californian Goes Tab Size for Weekdays
Friday, August 7, 2009
Euclid Sun Journal Closes
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Becker County Record / Detroit Lakes Tribune to Change Distibution / Preprints
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Lumberton Robesonian Discontinued Monday Edition
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Richmond County Daily Journal Discontinues Sunday Distribution
Raleigh News and Observer Changes to 44" web
Friday, July 24, 2009
Birmingham Eccentric Lives to Publish Another Day
Bolivar Commercial to Start a Sunday Distribution and Eliminate Monday Distribution
Palestine Herald Press Discontined Monday and Saturday Distribution
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Los Angeles Times and Orange County Register to Jointly Publish Supplement Product
The Times and Orange County Register will together launch a weekly advertising supplement to be distributed in both papers. The supplement, OCSaver/Local Values, will be inserted into the Friday editions of the newspapers that will go to subscribers in Orange County beginning Aug. 28, said representatives of the Los Angeles Times Media Group and Orange County Register Communications on Tuesday.
In addition, the supplement will be distributed in the Register's 25 community newspapers and in The Times' Spanish-language newspaper Hoy Fin de Semana.
In some areas of the county, households that do not subscribe to The Times or Register will receive the supplement by mail."The combined OCSaver/Local Values distribution program will have access to nearly 1 million Orange County households," said Terry Horne, publisher of the Register, in a statement.
Eddy Hartenstein, publisher of The Times, said the venture by the two newspaper companies will be "harnessing the unparalleled reach of our distribution systems."
Monday, July 20, 2009
Cox Enterprises to Sell North Carolina Newspapers to Cooke Communications, LLC
The weekly publications include the Beaufort-Hyde News (Bellhaven), Bertie-Ledger Advance (Windsor), The Chowan Herald (Edenton), Duplin Times (Kenansville), The Enterprise (Williamston), Farmville Enterprise, Perquimans Weekly (Elizabeth City), Standard Laconic (Snow Hill), Times-Leader (Ayden-Grifton) and Weekly Herald (Robersonville).
As announced in 2008, Cox Enterprises continues to market for sale its newspapers in Texas.
Syracuse Post-Standard Discontinues Inserting Preprints on Saturday
Friday, July 17, 2009
BANG Eliminates Wednesday Preprints for Several Publications
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Cox to sell off several newspapers, Val Pak operations
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the company's largest daily newspaper, is not among the papers to be sold.
The largest newspaper for sale is the Austin (Tex.) American-Stateman and affiliated operations, including its Austin360.com Web site. Other papers slated to be sold by Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises are community publications in North Carolina, Texas and Colorado.
Cox Enterprises also will retain major dailies The Palm Beach Post, Dayton Daily News and publications affiliated with each.
Cox papers, including the AJC and the Palm Beach Post, have gone through series of job buyouts and layoffs over the past several years as profits have fallen. Palm Beach announced it would cut 130 jobs from its 300-member newsroom and the AJC announced a restructuring designed to cut 8 percent of its workforce, or more than 150 jobs through buyouts and other voluntary and involuntary measures.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Coral Gables Gazette Ceases Publication on August 1st
Friday, July 10, 2009
Lancaster Intelligencer Journal Ceases Inserts on Monday
Starkville Dispatch Launches
Claremont Eagle Times Closes
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
USPS Lowers Rates on high-density flats
The Postal Regulatory Commission approved the rate on July 1, potentially setting a new precedent on how to address a rate decrease in a period of deflation.
Bay State Banner in Boston suspends publication
By RUSSELL CONTRERAS
BOSTON (AP) — An African-American newspaper that covered Boston's busing riots of the 1970s, the fall of black political leaders and the rise of state's first black governor, Deval Patrick, has suspended publication after 44 years and laid off its 12 employees.
Bay State Banner publisher and editor Melvin Miller said Tuesday that financial pressures and a sustained falloff in advertising have forced him to close the weekly newspaper, at least temporarily.
Miller, a 75-year-old Boston attorney who founded the paper in 1965, said he had prepared for a long economic turndown but couldn't risk pouring in more of his own money. When or if the paper reopens depends on any potential new investors, but Miller said he would not actively "go around twisting arms" to convince people.
"When you do something for so long, people think ... that no matter what happens the Banner is going to be there," Miller said. "Now everybody has to be confronted with the idea that it's either people step up and do what they have to do or else the Banner will be gone forever."
The paper most recently had a weekly circulation of 34,000.
Jeffrey Berry, professor of political science at Tufts University, said it would be painful to see the newspaper close for good since it did an exceptional job covering the city's black community.
"It has given voice to a particular community that's been chronically ignored by the local media," Berry said. "If it closes, the city will be losing its lifeblood."
In a statement, Gov. Patrick said the newspaper has a venerable history and is an important contributor to the state's civic life.
"I wish them every kind of encouragement as they work to weather these difficult economic times like so many other companies and media outlets throughout Massachusetts," Patrick said in a statement.
Miller said he believed the newspaper helped "defuse rage" by serving as an outlet during the 1960s as Boston largely escaped the race riots that ravaged other cities. But he said the newspaper also helped augment coverage by other media outlets by adding its own twist.
According to Richard Prince's Journal-isms, an online column that focuses on diversity in media, black-owned weekly newspapers have largely avoided layoffs and bankruptcy filings, unlike mainstream press outlets. A large number of black-owned weekly newspapers are family-owned.
Berry said any decline in the number of ethnic media newspapers will leave a void.
"I have some people who are really geniuses, journalistic geniuses," Miller said. "And I can't suggest to other people to fill that gap. They are not going to be able to do it."
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Reorganization plan cleared for the Journal Register
By ANDREW VANACORE
NEW YORK (AP) — A federal bankruptcy judge in New York has cleared the way for newspaper publisher Journal Register Co. to emerge from Chapter 11 protection.
The plan had won the backing of the vast majority of creditors, despite objections from some quarters, including state officials in Pennsylvania and Connecticut.
The company has drawn criticism for its plans to pay executive bonuses following its emergence from bankruptcy. Some creditors also questioned a provision that would arrange a $6.6 million payment from secured lenders to key suppliers, including ink and newsprint providers.
Judge Allan Gropper said in a ruling Tuesday that despite those objections, Journal Register's reorganization plan is consistent with federal bankruptcy law.
Journal Register publishes the New Haven (Conn.) Register and dozens of other newspapers. Like almost all publishers, it has been pummeled by declining advertising revenue as the traditional newspaper business model comes under assault from the Internet.
The company filed for bankruptcy in February, the third in a wave of Chapter 11 filings in the industry that has also claimed The Tribune Co., The Minneapolis Star-Tribune, The Chicago Sun-Times and the owner of both of Philadelphia's daily newspapers, among others.
The company's bankruptcy plan was essentially "prepackaged," having been negotiated with major lenders led by JPMorgan prior to its filing. The plan cancels Journal Register's stock and cuts obligations to secured lenders to $225 million from $696 million in return for ownership of the company.
The only significant addition that came during hearings is a $2 million fund set aside for unsecured lenders, who will receive about 9 cents on the dollar.
Unsecured lenders that qualify as critical suppliers, such as ink and newsprint providers, will be made whole with a $6.6 million gift from secured debt holders.
The latter provision drew criticism from Central States, a multi-employer pension fund, which called the plan inequitable. But the company contended any disruption in basic supplies could cripple an already fragile business.
Plans to pay out $1.3 million in bonuses to top executives also led to objections. State officials from Connecticut and Pennsylvania as well as the Newspaper Guild, one of the company's largest unions, asked the court to block the payments.
But in his opinion Tuesday, Judge Gropper said the planned bonuses do not violate bankruptcy code. He noted that debtors had been given the chance to review the bonuses and voted overwhelmingly to approve the bankruptcy plan anyway.
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal offered a blistering response and said his office is reviewing the judgement to "determine whether further action is appropriate."
"This decision means that bankruptcy is no bar against bloated big-time bonuses," Blumenthal said in a statement. "The unfortunate bankruptcy court ruling means that (Journal Register) executives will be substantially rewarded more than $1.3 million in blatantly undeserved bonuses for shutting down newspapers and laying off employees."
Last year, deteriorating ad revenue led the company to shutter several weekly newspapers in Connecticut, including the Pictorial Gazette, the Branford Review, Clinton Recorder, Main Street News and the East Haven Advertiser.
Lawyers for the company did not return calls seeking comment on the case Tuesday. It was not immediately clear how quickly Journal Register can emerge from bankruptcy now that its reorganization has been approved.
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
Muncie Star Press to No Longer Accept Saturday Inserts
Harrison Daily Times Changes Distribution Days and Time
The Daily Times had previously distributed all seven days of the week, and had been an evening publication.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Suburban Dallas Community Newspaper Group Shuts Down
The closure, first reported by John Coleman in The Dallas Morning News, followed a loss of advertising revenue and the inability to find a buyer, said Publisher Kim Petty.
"Everybody was hurt by the economy," Petty told the Morning News. "Most of our advertisers were mom-and-pop type stores, and they just couldn't keep it up. There is just not a lot of hope for small-town newspapers."
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Last to Enter Bankruptcy, ACN is First to Emerge
In a memo to employees, CEO Gene Carr said the chain closed the sale to its creditors on Friday. ACN's emergence from bankruptcy was first reported Monday by MinnPost media writer David Brauer.
ACN's prepackaged bankruptcy plan was approved by a judge in Delaware earlier this month. Under the plan, the chain --which publishes the Stillwater (Minn.) Gazette and clusters of community papers in Texas, Ohio and suburban WashingtonD.C. -- was for $32 million plus $5 million in post-bankruptcy financing to its creditors, including the General Electric Corp. andthe Bank of Montreal.
At the time of its bankruptcy filing, ACN said it had $102 million in debt.
The chain’s parent company will be known as American Community Newspapers II.
“Under our new ownership, our debt has been substantially reduced, which places us in a much better position to execute onour business strategy, serve our communities, and provide ample opportunities for our employees,” Carr wrote in the memo.
Miami Herald moves to 44" Web
As a result of the new width, all sections in The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald - ROP, Tabloid and Classified - will be formatted in six columns. Column widths in all sections will be identical; as such, ad sizes will also be consistent across sections.
The size modification will not affect newspaper content.
Seattle Times zones increase reach; rates to be adjusted July 1, 2009
Bradenton Herald Preprint Shipping Changes
Bradenton Herald moves to 44" Web
Friday, June 26, 2009
Philadelphia Inquirer TMC Changes Distribution Day to Sunday
Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald Reduce Page Size
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Lafayette Daily Advertiser No Longer to Accept Inserts on Tuesdays
Mammoth Times Changes to Friday Distribution
Monday, June 22, 2009
Kilgore News Herald Now Wednesday & Saturday Distribution
Friday, June 19, 2009
Chicago Tribune to discontinue weekly publication of magazine
Chicago Tribune Magazine, which traces its roots to 1914's Chicago Tribune Pictorial Weekly and took on its current form on Oct. 4th, 1953, will continue as a series of themed sections published roughly once a month beginning in September.
Gerould Kern, the Chicago Tribune's editor, said in a memo to staff that the change involving the magazine was made "because declining advertising and high costs made weekly publication unsustainable."
Other changes coming to the Sunday Tribune next month involve the introduction of new sections and consolidation of others. "To succeed in this economic climate, we must continually evaluate and adapt our offerings to meet reader and advertiser needs and to improve profitability," Kern wrote.
The Chicagoland report will be incorporated in the Sunday main news section, as it is on weekdays, while the Tribune launches a new World & Nation section, which will also include obituaries and the Sunday weather page.
The new Money & Real Estate section on Sunday will incorporate stories, graphics, advice columns, special features and guidance on home sales and personal finance previously found in House & Home and the Your Money pages of the Business section. Career Builder ads will now appear in the back of the Business section, rather than as a section unto themselves.
The Chicago Homes section will move from Friday to Saturday, as of July 11th. The Tribune in April moved The Guide, with its television listings, from Sunday to Saturdays.
Covington Leader Changes to Thursday-only publication
The Leader covers Covington, Tennessee and surrounding communities in Tipton County, Tennessee.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Trumann Democrat and Try-City Tribune Merge July 1st
Durant Daily Democrat Ceased Publishing on Mondays
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Houma Daily Courier / Thibodaux Daily Comet Restrict Preprint Days
The Daily Courier will cease running inserts on Mondays, Tuesdays and Saturdays, thus leaving advertisers with options of using Wednesday, Thursday, Friday or Sunday.
The Daily Comet will cease running inserts on Tuesdays and Saturdays, thus leaving advertisers with options of Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday or Sunday.
Marian Long is suggesting that those advertisers that used to use Saturday for their inserts, now use Fridays for their inserts.
Philly Newspapers' Parent Company Into Bankruptcy
Philadelphia Media Holdings LLC (PMH) filed for bankruptcy protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Philadelphia, claiming assets of between $100,001 and $500,000, and liabilities estimated between zero and $50,000.
A PMH spokesman said PMH is a holding company with no employees or revenue. "What it holds is the actual legal entity Philadelphia Newspapers LLC and other smaller properties that are also incorporated separately," spokesman Jay Devine said.
Last Feb. 21, Philadelphia Newspapers, the publishing company of the two dailies, filed for Chapter in Philadelphia, to restructure its debt load of $390 million in debt load.
When Philadelphia Newspapers filed for bankruptcy last February, it wasn't thought necessary to include PMH in the filing, headded. But PMH is also named in some litigation along with Philadelphia Newspapers. Since the litigation is stayed during bankruptcy proceedings, filing for Chapter 11 ensures that PMH cannot be pursued in court separately.
PMH is the group formed by local public relations executive Brian P. Tierney to buy the newspapers from The McClatchy Co.,which acquired them in its acquisition of Knight Ridder Inc. The group put up $152 million in cash and borrowed the rest of the $562 million purchase price.
According to the bankruptcy petition, filed last Wednesday, the largest stakeholders in PMH are the Carpenters Pension and Annuity Fund of Philadelphia with a 30.35% interest, followed by luxury housing magnate Bruce E. Toll with a 20.26% stake. William A. Graham IV is listed as having a 16.88% stake. Tierney's interest in PMH totals 6.75%.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Detroit Daily Press
Monday, June 8, 2009
Ottaway Newspapers changes name to Dow Jones Local Media Group
Posted: June 08, 2009 - 12:02 PM
NEW YORK — Ottaway Newspapers is changing its name to Dow Jones Local Media Group.
Dow Jones purchased the Ottaway group, which includes the Times Herald-Record, in 1970. News Corp. bought Dow Jones in 2007.
“The new name reflects the closer working relationship between our successful local news franchises and the rest of Dow Jones and News Corp.,” said Les Hinton, CEO of Dow Jones.
Dow Jones Local Media Group employs 1,200 and has its headquarters at the Times Herald-Record’s office in Middletown. It includes eight daily newspapers, 15 weekly newspapers and a collection of magazines and Web sites in six states.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Journal-Register Co. to sell Lapeer County Press, other papers
Yardley, Pa.-based Journal-Register Co., which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February, will sell the Lapeer newspaper and a dozen other publications to Lapeer-based Jams Media Inc. for an undisclosed sum, according to a news release issued this morning.
The sale is expected to be finalized before July 31.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Yuma Daily Sun changes TMC
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Andover Advocate Journal Closes
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Lufkin Daily News and Nacogdoches Daily Sentinel Sold
Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises did not disclose financial terms, but said the deal should close on May 31.
Cox Enterprises’ other newspapers in Texas and all of Cox’s stand-alone community newspapers in North Carolina and Colorado are still up for sale. Cox Enterprises hired Citigroup and Dirks, Van Essen & Murray to market those papers.
“Cox Enterprises greatly values the contributions that the employees of The Lufkin Daily News and The Daily Sentinel have made to our company,” said Doug Franklin, executive vice president of Cox Newspapers, in a press release. “These local institutions are important to their communities, and we are confident that Southern Newspapers will continue the tradition these newspapers have of providing timely, valuable and trustworthy news and information to their readers.”
Dallas Morning News and Valassis Join Forces in Dallas Market
Through the alliance, The Dallas Morning News will combine its advertising inserts with Valassis' RedPlum(TM) Direct Mail Package, creating a single, shared offering that will reach 1.5 million households weekly in the Dallas-Ft. Worth market. The RedPlum Direct Mail Package consists of good deals on the brands consumers want most from various businesses, which are combined into a single package and delivered to consumers' mailboxes to help them make smart buying decisions by providing them with savings and value. The familiar Have you Seen Me?® Missing Child images and information are featured on the back page. Beginning in August 2009, the RedPlum Direct Mail Package will be delivered to more than 485,000 home delivery recipients of The Dallas Morning News, Al Dia and Briefing, and mailed by Valassis to another 1 million local households.
This alliance is the latest of successful collaborations Valassis has entered into with 31 newspapers across the United States, offering an innovative way to reach out to 8 million U.S. households. Advertisers benefit from the efficiency of the newspapers' delivery channel and the precision of Valassis targeting and reach via direct mail. Consumers benefit from advertising that is delivered by trusted, reliable sources - The Dallas Morning News and Valassis' RedPlum product.
"This deal is a win for advertisers and consumers alike," said William Blackmer, Valassis Senior Vice President, Strategic Sourcing. "Advertisers can leverage the power of newspaper and mail to enhance their message to consumers and can ensure maximum response through both delivery methods. Consumers will receive valuable deals and offers all in one package, which will greatly facilitate planned shopping experiences. We are very pleased to continue building our relationship with The Dallas Morning News in this important market."
"By merging The News' portfolio of print products with Valassis' unique targeting systems, this partnership allows us to offer advertisers throughout the Dallas-Ft. Worth marketplace enhanced distribution capabilities," said John McKeon, President and General Manager of The Dallas Morning News. "It also supports our goal of delivering value to consumers by increasing their opportunities to save, one more example of the many ways in which The Dallas Morning News helps people live better here."
Readers of The Dallas Morning News, Al Dia and Briefing will receive their merged RedPlum Direct Mail Package on top of the Wednesday newspaper, ensuring high visibility for the advertising offers, while those who do not receive the newspaper will receive their co-branded Direct Mail Package in their mailboxes on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Birmingham Eccentric - Alive For Now
If the Birmingham Eccentric can get 3,000 new subscribers by July 1st, it will continue to remain in business, and another 2,000 new subscribers by October 1st, it will continue beyond that point, assuming that profitability goals are met.
Flint Journal, Saginaw News, Bay City Times Reduce to Three Days a Week
Friday, May 22, 2009
La Grange Daily News Discontinues Sunday Distribution
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Attleboro Sun Chronicle Ceases Advisor TMC Publication
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
MailSouth Acquires Saving Source Direct (SSD)
ATLANTA (May 19, 2009) – Cox Enterprises, Inc. announced today it has reached a definitive agreement to sell Tarboro, N.C.-based Saving Source Direct to MailSouth, headquartered in Helena, Ala. The transaction is expected to close May 26, 2009.
“Cox Enterprises greatly values the contributions that the employees of Saving Source Direct have made to our company,” said Doug Franklin, executive vice president, Cox Newspapers. “More than ever, consumers rely on value-oriented content. MailSouth has twenty years of success and distributes direct mail packages to 17 million households in 26 states.”
Saving Source Direct, formerly known as PAGAS Mailing Services, is the local source for valueoriented content and coupons in more than 100 markets throughout North Carolina. Top markets include Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Wilmington, Asheville, Greenville, Goldsboro, Rocky Mount and Elizabeth City. Each month Saving Source Direct reaches more than three million homes. The company also provides solo mailing services for targeted demographics and customer lists. Prior to the expected sale, Saving Source Direct was managed as part of Cox North Carolina Newspapers, a publishing unit of Cox Media Group, Inc.
Said MailSouth’s CEO Albert Braunfisch, “We’ve enjoyed a long partnership with Saving Source Direct, and for several years, we’ve worked together to the benefit of many shared clients. The addition of the terrific markets they have built throughout North Carolina will push our advertising program over 20 million rural and suburban households, so we’re excited about this opportunity.”
As announced in 2008, Cox Enterprises’ newspapers in Texas, North Carolina and Colorado continue to be marketed for sale. Citigroup has been retained to assist Cox Enterprises with the marketing of these assets.
Arizona's Tucson Citizen won't resume publication
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP)
A federal judge ruled Tuesday that the Arizona attorney general's office failed to show that the Citizen's owner, Gannett Co., violated antitrust laws.
The state has contended that closing the Citizen with Saturday's issue is eliminating competition and fostering a monopoly situation for Gannett and Lee Enterprises, publisher of the city's Arizona Daily Star.
The two companies own Tucson Newspapers Inc., which runs the non-editorial functions for both newspapers. They split costs and profits.
The state contends Gannett stopped publishing the Citizen simply to make more money for the partnership.
The state hasn't decided whether to appeal.
Gannett will continue the Citizen as a commentary Web site, without news coverage, and distribute a printed Citizen editorial weekly with the Star.
Tucson Citizen - Decision Likely Today on State Restraining Order
By Renee Schafer Horton with Mark Fitzgerald
Published: May 18, 2009 8:40 PM ET
CHICAGO The Tucson Citizen was losing $10,000 a day before it was folded last weekend -- money that would be better spent making a "vibrant" Arizona Daily Star, lawyers for Gannett Co. and Lee Enterprises Inc. argued before a federal judge Monday.
Arizona's Office of the Attorney General is asking for a temporary restraining order that would force the chains to operate the Citizen as a print publication or find a buyer who would keep it publishing.
U.S. District Court Judge Raner C. Collins sitting in Tucson said he would rule on the state's motion Tuesday (May 19th) before 2 p.m. local time.
In the hearing Monday, Nancy M. Bonnell, a lawyer for the attorney general's office, argued that by folding the Citizen, but continuing its business partnership with Lee Enterprises, publisher of the Star, Gannett "wants to have its cake and eat it, too."
Gannett and Lee Enterprises operated their papers under a joint operating agreement (JOA) first established in 1940, nearly three decades before the Newspaper Preservation Act was law. When Gannett announced the folding of the print Citizen -- and its replacement by a "modified" online-only operation with little news coverage -- it said it was terminating the JOA but continuing as a partner with Lee in Tucson.
"We understand that a temporary restraining order is an extraordinary remedy," Bonnell told the judge, adding that it was necessary because of the "harm to competition" of having no print Citizen.
The Citizen Web site -- which will rely heavily on blogs and has just two permanent editorial employees from the former newspaper staff of 60 -- does not provide true competition, Bonnell said.
But Don Kaplan, a lawyer representing Lee Enterprises, argued that the Citizen was a "failing paper" that cost the partnership more than it earned. He said the paper was losing $10,000 a day as a print publication. There is a "greater good" in getting rid of a paper that is failing in order to save the more "vibrant" remaining paper, Kaplan said.
Bonnell responded that the Citizen was not a failing paper because there was someone willing to buy it, California publisher Stephen Hadland, whose bid for the paper was rejected. Gannett had been seeking $1 million for the assets of the Citizen, not including its stake in the JOA. Hadland offered $400,000.
"The fact of the matter is, there is no obligation to sell at any price," Kaplan said.
Kaplan and Gordon L. Lang, representing Gannett, also made the argument that their Tucson partnership has always been "one entity," and that therefore there are no competitive issues. They noted that each pays half of the editorial cost of the other's newspaper.
It also emerged at Monday's hearing that the Arizona attorney general's office, the antitrust division of the U.S. Justice Department and the two chains had an understanding that the newspapers would give the Justice Department three day's notice before folding the Citizen. Gannett had announced a May 1 deadline to sell or close the paper, but delayed it on a day-to-day basis while negotiating its sale.
The reason the Arizona authorities filed for its temporary restraining order just hours before the last edition hit the streets Saturday morning -- and minutes before the federal court was closing Friday evening -- was that the state did not get any word of the closing from the Justice Department, Bonnell said. The state attorney general had prepared a lawsuit to block the paper's closing.
Also Monday, the staffing of the Citizen Web site was settled. It will have six temporary employees as it transitions from print, and two permanent employees: former assistant managing editor Mark Evans and Ryn Gargulinski, a general assignment reporter at the newspaper.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Tucson Citizen - Conversion Plans to Arizona Daily Star
Dear Valued Client,
I’m sure you have many questions concerning today’s announcement made by Gannett that The Tucson Citizen will cease publication with tomorrow’s issue on May 16th, 2009. I hope to clarify our current situation with you.
I’m sure that you will want to know what will happen with your rates and what our circulation quantities will be after that time. Our plan is to convert a vast majority of the Citizen subscribers to The Star. Due to the low duplication factor between The Star and The Citizen, we believe this will be likely.
However, due to the fact that we could not contact any of the Citizen subscribers while the newspaper was up for purchase, we were not able to work on that conversion process until now. You should assume that our preprint quantities will remain the same from Monday through Sunday after May 16th. We will be converting all of our Citizen home subscribers to Star subscriptions for the same price starting on Monday, May 18th. We will continue to insert any Citizen preprints into The Star and will publish additional copies of The Star for single copy distribution to all of our racks and dealers to compensate for losses in Citizen single copy sales. We will monitor our sales closely and be able to provide you with new distribution quantity estimates as we receive them.
Regarding retail, national and classified ROP advertising rates, those rates will remain the same after May 16th except that we will not continue to offer the purchase of one newspaper at 90% of the rate. This is because we will have only one newspaper and we intend to convert the former Citizen subscribers to The Star so that our circulation will remain very similar to our current distribution quantities.
We do, however, have quite a few special offers in place from now through the end of the summer as we try to help our advertisers succeed during this rough economic environment. Please ask your account executive for details on these special discounted offers.
Please bear with us as we go through these transitionary times together. We will
let you know additional information as soon as we can. Thank you for your patience and your business.
Again, the outcome of the possible injunction will impact when and if these actions occur.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Tucson Citizen - May 16th Closure Temporarily Stopped
By Dale Quinn, Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona
The state Attorney General's Office has filed a federal complaint seeking a temporary restraining order to stop the Tucson Citizen from ceasing publication.
The complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Tucson alleges the paper should not be closed until violations of state and federal antitrust laws are examined, said spokeswoman Anne Hilby.
The announcement comes the day Citizen owner Gannett Co. Inc. announced it would publish its last print edition Saturday while continuing an online edition.
Gannett announced Jan. 16 its plans to sell the Citizen’s Web site, archives and certain other assets or shut down the paper March 20. On March 17, Gannett said it would continue publishing past the March 20 deadline on a day-to-day basis as negotiations with viable buyers continued.
Gannett’s vice president of news, Kate Marymont, said this evening she couldn’t comment on the restraining order or what it means for the paper because she had just heard about the filing, which comes on the heels of an investigation into the sale by the U.S. Department of Justice’s antitrust division.
The Justice Department regulates joint operating agreements like the one that binds Tucson’s two daily newspapers. Both papers have independent editorial control but share production, distribution and advertising through a company called Tucson Newspapers.
Under the terms of the JOA, Gannett and Lee split profits from the papers. The JOA would also end Saturday under the terms of Gannett’s announcement, while the two companies continue splitting profits from Tucson Newspapers even though Gannett won’t be producing a paper. But in the sale, Gannett didn’t offer its stake in the JOA. Because of that, newspaper experts said there was little chance a potential buyer would emerge.
Stephen Hadland, CEO of the Santa Monica Media Co., was interested in purchasing the newspaper. His media group publishes five papers in the Los Angeles area. He said Gannett wanted $1 million for the assets of the Citizen. He offered $400,000, but the Citizen refused to budge below $800,000.
Hadland sent a letter to the Arizona Attorney General’s office Friday requesting it file a temporary restraining order preventing Gannett from closing the Citizen and requiring it to continue printing the paper pending a sale to a qualified buyer.
“The Tucson Citizen has been systematically destroyed by its owners and I believe it remains a viable and popular newspaper in the community,” Hadland wrote in the letter.
For the Citizen to go on as announced by Gannett is a “perversion” of the Newspaper Preservation Act of 1970, he said. Hadland also pointed out that Gannett had made publishing a print edition three times a week a requirement of the sale.
Operation and dissolution of JOAs is guided by the Newspaper Preservation Act and regulated by the Justice Department.
Hadland said because the Justice Department failed to take action he turned to the Arizona Attorney General.
The case was assigned to Raner Collins, Hilby said, but the complaint did not include a deadline as to when a hearing should take place.
The complaint says that readers in Pima County have benefitted for more than a century from competition between the Star and the Citizen. Gannett and Lee are violating antitrust laws by closing the Citizen while sharing profits generated by the Star after it becomes the monopoly paper.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Gannett Wisconsin East Discontinues Monday Preprints in 6 Newspapers
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Hora Hispana Switches to Bi-Weekly Distribution
Monday, May 11, 2009
Newport News Daily Press Discontinues Monday & Tuesday Inserts
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Dayton Daily News Alters Home Deliver & Single Copy Buying Options
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Ontario Argus Observer Discontinued Monday Distribution
Plano Star Courier & McKinney Courier Gazette change Distribution Days
Sunday, May 3, 2009
East Valley Tribune (Mesa, AZ) - Ceasing Saturday Distribution
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Denver Post - Eliminates Outlying Distribution Areas
The Post -- which has long carried the slogan "Voice of the Rocky Mountain Empire" on its front page -- will no longer be home delivered or sold in boxes or over the counter Mondays through Saturdays in parts of western, southern and eastern Colorado or in neighboring states after early July. Affected areas include Grand Junction, Durango, Gunnison, Telluride, Alamosa, Walsenberg, Trinidad, La Junta, Lamar andBurlington, the paper's statement said.
People in those areas can access the newspaper via its free website and through a paid electronic facsimile edition, and the Sunday Post will continue to be delivered in the affected areas, the newspaper said.
The Post and its owner, Denver-based MediaNews Group Inc., have been struggling in recent years to contain costs in the face of slumping revenue and mounting losses for the Denver daily. Still, it marks a significant shift for the Post, which has long positioned itself as the newspaper for all Colorado and which in recent years has used the marketing slogan: "We are Colorado." For decades, Denver Post delivery tubes have been nailed to ranch-gate posts and farm fences across the state.
The Post traditionally has been home delivered virtually everywhere in Colorado and in some areas of neighboring states, including southeastern Wyoming, western Nebraska, northern New Mexico and, at times, eastern Utah.
Despite the change, William Dean Singleton, the Post's publisher and CEO of MediaNews Group, said in the Post's statement that the paper remains "fully committed to providing comprehensive editorial coverage for all of Colorado. We are still truly Colorado, and our loyal Post readers will still have full access to our Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage through the electronic edition and our Sunday print product."
The Post several years ago maintained news bureaus and stationed reporters in Colorado Springs, the Larimer-Weld county area, the Four Corners area, Grand Junction and Summit County; had one or more regional reporters assigned to cover outlying Colorado and neighboring states; and assigned a "Rocky Mountain Ranger" columnist to write about the region. Most of those bureaus are now closed and the "Rocky Mountain Ranger" column has been discontinued. The Post recently has made increasing use of regional news reports from other papers in the state.
Rochester Democrat Chronicle Ceases TMC Publication
Philadelphia Leader - Reopened, New Distribution
Giles Free Press - merged / closed
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
American Community Newspapers - Chapter 11
- No Impact on Day to Day Operations: Newspapers and Web Sites to Continue Serving Their Local Communities -
DALLAS, April 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- American Community Newspapers Inc. (Pink Sheets: ACNI) today announced that its subsidiary operating company American Community Newspapers LLC ("ACN" or the "Company") has voluntarily filed petitions for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.
ACN will continue to operate its businesses during the reorganization process. There will be no change in the Company's day to day operating activity and its newspapers will continue to serve their local communities, readers and advertisers without interruption. ACN's secured creditors will be providing a $5 million debtor in possession credit facility. In addition, the secured creditors are the contemplated stalking horse bidder for ACN's assets.
"A difficult economic environment and weak advertising market have created a number of challenges for our industry and our company," said Gene Carr, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ACN. "While we have proactively managed our business by right sizing our cost structure and driving efficiencies to maximizing our cash flows our operations are not able to support our current capital structure. As a result we intend to reorganize via the 363 sale process with continuing support from our lenders which, if approved, will reduce our debt. This will place us in a better position to execute on our business plan and serve our communities. We worked with our financial advisors to explore a wide range of alternatives before making this filing, however the decision to proceed with the reorganization was determined to be the best alternative."
Mr. Carr concluded, "The community newspaper business model places us in the unique position to deliver truly local content and be the mainstay of the markets we serve. The value we provide has been recognized many times over the years with our employees, newspapers, Web sites and niche publications winning numerous awards. Our readers and advertisers are our most important assets and we are committed to providing them with outstanding service in the months and years ahead."
About American Community Newspapers
ACN is a community newspaper publisher in the United States, operating within four major U.S. markets: Minneapolis - St. Paul; Dallas; Northern Virginia (suburban Washington, D.C.); and Columbus, Ohio. These markets are some of the most affluent, high growth markets in the United States, with ACN strategically positioned in many of the wealthiest counties within each market. ACN's goal is to be the preeminent provider of local content and advertising in any market it serves.