http://www.Chainlinks.org News of the newspaper business Copyright 2008 The Newspaper Guild en-us Fri, 09 May 2008 14:32:34 -0400 Fri, 09 May 2008 14:32:34 -0400 http://sjguild.org/rss/jpg/chainlinks.jpg http://www.Chainlinks.org 140 55 http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003801419 The Tribune Co. reported that Q1 earnings from continuing operations soared to $1.82 billion compared with $11 million from the same period a year ago. The favorable upswing was due to the change of the company’s tax status at the beginning of the year to a subchapter S corporation. http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003801419 http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=45&aid=143009 The Guild says it "has been carefully analyzing the [New York Times] layoffs to make sure that management has followed the contract’s job security provisions. At this point, it appears to the Guild that the company has not done so. In fact, the Guild has already filed a grievance regarding the methodology used by The Times to decide who would be laid-off." http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=45&aid=143009 http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003799839 Layoffs and buyouts have hit three more daily papers, with announcements of cutbacks in Colorado, Kentucky, and South Carolina. http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003799839 http://www.bizlex.com/Articles-c-2008-05-06-76067.113117_HeraldLeader_Seeks_Buyout_from_4_Percent_of_Staff.html The Lexington Herald-Leader is looking to trim its staff of 385 full-time employees by 4 percent through a voluntary buyout program. http://www.bizlex.com/Articles-c-2008-05-06-76067.113117_HeraldLeader_Seeks_Buyout_from_4_Percent_of_Staff.html http://www.startribune.com/business/18712829.html The owner of the Star Tribune has informed investors that it has written down the value of its $100 million investment in the newspaper by 75 percent to reflect deteriorating conditions since the purchase in March 2007. http://www.startribune.com/business/18712829.html http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2008/05/05/daily7.html Newspaper chain MediaNews Group Inc. is outsourcing customer service operations for some of its California dailies — including the San Jose Mercury News, one of the company’s largest papers — to the Philippines. Meanwhile, newsroom employees at the Oakland Tribune, Contra Costa Times and other newspapers in MediaNews Group’s "Bay Area News Group-East Bay" unit are trying to form a union. http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2008/05/05/daily7.html http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-bznews065675295may06,0,665587.story As talks continued yesterday for the sale of Newsday, owner Tribune Co. assessed three similarly structured offers to determine which best fit its own strategic plan and need for debt-bound cash, a source close to the negotiations said. http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-bznews065675295may06,0,665587.story http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2008/05/how_bad_is_it_f.php Reporters examining the Star Tribune’s finances can be compared to a group of blind men reporting on an elephant. No one source, not even the paper’s higher-ups themselves, seems to have all the answers. http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2008/05/how_bad_is_it_f.php http://www.independent.com/news/2008/may/06/emnews-pressem-emindyem-settle-lawsuit/ Owners of the Santa Barbara News-Press and Santa Barbara Independent agreed to put away their legal swords this week, finally concluding a settlement to the News-Press’s complaint that the Independent had infringed upon its federal copyright protections. http://www.independent.com/news/2008/may/06/emnews-pressem-emindyem-settle-lawsuit/ http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003798799&imw=Y Stock in The McClatchy Co. dropped more than 7% on trading volume Monday that was more than seven times higher than normal. http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003798799&imw=Y