WSJ: Alden Buy of Tribune Publishing Could Happen this Month
An Alden Global Capital push to buy Tribune Publishing is in the headlines again. An agreement could happen this month, The Wall Street Journal reported. New York-based Alden is Tribune’s biggest shareholder, with a 32% stake. In December, Tribune Publishing named a special board committee of independent directors to look at the proposal. The company hasn’t released any public statements on the potential buy by the hedge fund. The deal could yet collapse, WSJ said, citing sources familiar with the matter. Tribune Publishing Company operates local media businesses in eight markets with titles including the Chicago Tribune and the New York Daily News.
Bloomberg Cutting 90 Editorial Staff
Bloomberg is laying off some 90 editorial employees, The Hill and others reported. The news was related in a memo to staff, says The Hill. The cuts of around 90 amount to some 3 percent of Bloomberg’s 3,100 editorial and research staff, says The Hill. The cuts are happening globally.
In a memo to staff, Bloomberg’s editor-in-chief John Micklethwait wrote that he was restructuring in a move to “elevate editing,” says The Hill. “For the most part, we will stick to the principle of one story, one editor. No more unnecessary back-reading or re-editing. Yes, of course there will be more complicated pieces that require senior managers to be involved, but those are the exceptions,” the memo said. “We either trust an editor to handle a story, or we don’t. If we don’t like the end result, we give the editor candid feedback.”
Public Notice Bill Voted Down in Idaho House
A bill concerning public notices failed to pass the Idaho House last week, the Post Register (Idaho Falls) reported. The bill would have eliminated the requirement that public notices be published in newspapers. The bill went down in a 38-33 House vote. Rep. Jon Weber, R-Rexburg, sponsored the bill. Similar bills were in play elsewhere.
- In Indiana Feb. 2 the House Government and Regulatory Reform Committee voted 10-3 to drop mandatory newspaper publication of all public notices, the Northwest Indiana Times reported. Rep. Doug Miller, R-Elkhart, is sponsoring that bill.
- The North Dakota House of Representatives voted down a bill Feb. 1 that would have dropped the requirement for governments to publish their bills and payments in local papers, inforum.com reported. The bill failed 62-31. Rep. Brandy Pyle, R-Casselton, was the bill’s main sponsor.
With Staff Working at Home, Wichita Eagle Leaving Rented Space
The Wichita Eagle intends to move from its rented office space in Old Town by the end of April, KMUW reports. McClatchy owns the paper. “Everybody at The Eagle has been working from home since last March,” said Michael Roehrman, executive editor of Kansas.com and The Eagle. “And so like a lot of businesses, we realized it didn’t make a lot of sense to keep paying for space that wasn’t being used.” Cargill bought the Wichita Eagle building at 825 E. Douglas in 2016. Cargill knocked down the Eagle building and constructed a new facility for its protein business.
Printing United Alliance, Idealliance Plan to Merge
In January, Printing United Alliance and Idealliance announced the intent to merge. The board of directors of each company have unanimously voted in favor of the merger. Idealliance is an industry association for print and packaging. Last year, Specialty Graphic Imaging Association (SGIA) and PIA merged to become printing and graphic arts association Printing United Alliance. The proposed merger of Printing United Alliance and Idealliance is set to be finalized on March 1.
Paxton Media Group Acquires Plain Dealer & Sun
Paxton Media Group has acquired the North Vernon Plain Dealer & Sun (Indiana) from the King family. Merger and acquisition firm Dirks, Van Essen & April represented the King family in the transaction. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The Plain Dealer & Sun has served Jennings County, Indiana, since 1864 and has been published by the King family since 1954. Barbara King has led the company since she moved back to her hometown in 1982.
Paxton Media Group is a family-owned media company headquartered in Paducah, Kentucky. The company owns 70-plus papers across the Midwest and Southeast, including 13 dailies in Indiana.
Herald-Tribune Printing Plant to Close
Gannett and the Herald-Tribune (Sarasota, Florida) intend to close the paper’s printing plant on May 2, the paper reported. Gannett owns the paper.
Printing of the Herald-Tribune and three other papers handled at the plant at University Parkway and U.S. 301 will go to Gannett Florida’s Treasure Coast plant on the state’s east coast. The three other publications are the Bradenton Herald, Fort Myers News-Press and Naples Daily News. Ninety-five jobs will be lost in the change, 42 full-time positions and 53 part-time, the paper reported.
Newsrooms at Daily News, NJ Papers Opt to Unionize
Tribune Publishing’s New York Daily News and three Gannett-owned dailies in New Jersey have opted to unionize their newsrooms with the News Guild of New York, the New York Post and others reported. The three Gannett-owned papers are The Record of Bergen County, the Daily Record in Morris County and the NJ Herald in Sussex County. The three are creating one bargaining unit, the Record Guild.
In New Jersey, nearly 90% of eligible staffers signed on to request voluntary recognition from Gannett management, says the guild. At the Daily News, more than 80% of eligible staff requested voluntary recognition from Tribune Publishing.
imPRESSions Sells WISPRINT40 Press to DS Graphics
imPRESSions Worldwide has sold a 22-3/4” cut-off WISPRINT40 press to DS Graphics. In partnership with Goss Graphic Systems (China), who will manufacture and supply the pressline, imPRESSions will oversee the integration of all third-party vendors. Massachusetts-based DSG|UW is making the move to LED-UV web production for 64-page book and 16-page publication printing, says a release from imPRESSions. They have invested over $3 million to anchor web offset production in their new multiplatform production facility, says the release. This 40-inch wide press allows 11″ x 8.5″ full-bleed page, according to imPRESSions. New Baldwin blanket washers and LED-UV along with DCOS closed loop density and register highlight the upgrades that includes a Jardis infeed and ribbon deck, says the release.
Penn Graphics will supply new and rebuilt conveyors and stackers. AGT won the order for UV Ink lines and automatic ink levelers.
More News
- The Sullivan Daily Times (Indiana) office was set to relocate from its home on North Main to 31 W. Jackson on the square, the paper reported.More News
- A number of former GateHouse papers went live with Gannett-style websites last week.
- Online video platform SendtoNews Video has been named a finalist in the Best Video Distribution Platform category of the 2021 Digiday Video and TV Awards.
- APTech was holding its first MTAC update and roundtable webinar on issues and topics from the most recent MTAC meetings. The webinar was set for today (Feb. 15) at 1 pm ET. The USPS’s Mailers’ Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC) meetings are a way for the Postal Service and the mailing community to optimize the value of mail-related products and services in the U.S., says APTech.
- Tamedia, a private media company in Switzerland, is working with MWM and installing MWM’s Print 365-modules, says a press release from Sweden-based MWM. Besides its daily and weekly papers, magazines and news platforms, Tamedia operates newspaper printing plants in Bern, Lausanne and Zurich.
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–
News & Tech is the premier resource for insight, analysis and technology integration in newspaper, magazine, digital and hybrid operations and production. News & Tech is written by industry experts and read by publishers and executive decision-makers.
