Newspaper News

Courant In Rumor Mill
The sale of The Courant, which has emerged as a possible element in the radical shake-up of its parent, Tribune Co., could dramatically alter the media landscape in Connecticut. But newspaper analysts say the sheer breadth of Tribune's options as it redefines itself - spinning off TV stations, taking the company private, retreating to its core assets - makes it difficult to divine the fate of the nation's oldest newspaper.

Sun owner's chief says 'all options ... are on the table'
The chief executive of The Sun's parent company declined yesterday to specify whether the newspaper is being considered for sale as part of an assessment of restructuring moves, saying only that 'all options ... are on the table.'
'We're looking at this on an entire company basis, and it just may not be possible to determine what's best for any one part of the company without first determining what's best for the whole company,' Tribune Co. Chief Executive Officer Dennis J. FitzSimons said.

Tribune Interactive Gets Creative in Fight for National Advertisers
In their struggle against the portals, newspaper sites are trying all sorts of ways to attract national ad dollars, and Tribune Interactive is no exception. The publisher is running innovative campaigns from national advertisers with very different approaches and goals on sites including LATimes.com and the Chicago Tribune Web site. Each, however, reflects the local presence of the online newspapers.

Journal Register To Cut Jobs As Auto Slowdown Hits Michigan
Journal Register said remaining employees at its Michigan papers, as well as senior executives in the company's corporate office, will not receive wage increases in 2007. "We will also seek a moratorium on wage increases for 2007 in our upcoming union negotiations in the Michigan Cluster," the company said in a statement.

FCC Announces Details For Public Hearing On Media Ownership
The purpose of the hearing is to involve the public in the process of the 2006 Quadrennial Broadcast Media Ownership Review that the FCC is currently conducting. The hearing is open to the public, and seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. This hearing is the first in a series of media ownership hearings the Commission intends to hold across the country.

Newsprint's Still Smudging
The newspaper industry has its share of challenges, and the last couple weeks have provided a few more headlines that support that perspective. New York Times (NYSE: NYT) warned about earnings in its coming third quarter, and Tribune (NYSE: TRB) said it is mulling a restructuring and possibly a sale.

Toledo Blade Talks Resume As Lockout Continues
In a battle over union rights that other newspaper unions may eventually have to fight, The Toledo Council of Newspaper Unions has launched an all-fronts boycott of The Blade in Ohio. Talks resume this week between the Blade and five locked out unions. Hundreds of workers have been locked out since August 28th.