Lee Enterprises reports first quarter results

 

Digital only subscribers totaled 286,000, up 69% compared to prior year
Audience revenue was +1.9% compared to prior year
Strong liquidity position with $37.1 million of cash on the balance sheet
Achieved $103 million in cost synergies, exceeding year-end target

DAVENPORT, Iowa, Feb. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lee Enterprises, Incorporated (NYSE: LEE), a leading provider of high quality, trusted, local news, information and a major platform for advertising in 77 markets, today reported first quarter fiscal 2021 financial results⁽¹⁾ for the period ended December 27, 2020. On a GAAP basis, total operating revenue was $211.8 million and net income totaled $16.4 million in the first quarter.

“We are off to a great start in fiscal year 2021 as we continue to improve our operating results mitigating the effects of the pandemic,” said Kevin Mowbray, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Adjusted EBITDA totaled $40.0 million in the first quarter as we continue to see sequential revenue trend improvement as total operating revenue on a pro forma basis was down 10.9% in the first quarter compared to third and fourth quarter of fiscal year 2020 trends that were down 16.9% and 24.7%, respectively. As we remain focused on executing at a high level in today’s uncertain advertising revenue environment, we are keenly focused on transforming our business models for the long term benefit of our shareholders, our consumers, our advertisers and our employees.”

“To that end, we have made significant progress on our digital transformation strategy. Total digital revenue in the quarter totaled $62.5 million, or 29.4% of our total operating revenue. Digital-only subscriptions continue to grow at a rapid rate – up 69.2% compared to the prior year, and we now have 286,000 paid digital-only subscribers to our products that are helping drive our audience revenue performance. The growth in digital-only subscriptions and digital-only revenue helped drive a 1.9% quarter over quarter growth in subscription revenue.”

“On the advertising side, we are focused on diversifying the products and services that we offer to local advertisers. We are seeing growth at Amplified Agency, our full service digital marketing agency, and in video revenue, which combined posted a 16.5% increase in revenue in the first quarter compared to last year. Additionally, through strong relationships in our local communities, we earned $3.0 million in advertising revenue from state and local political campaigns. Total advertising revenue on a pro forma basis was down 20.0% in the first quarter, a 670 bps sequential trend improvement from the fourth quarter 2020 trends,” Mowbray added.

“TownNews is the digital backbone of our operations and provides a platform for enhancing our product development efforts across the organization. Revenue at TownNews on a standalone basis increased 8.5%, continuing a long line of quarter over quarter revenue growth. With growth in audience revenue and revenue at TownNews, 45% of our total operating revenue is now subscription-based," said Mowbray.

“The first quarter marked a significant milestone in our transformation efforts as we achieved our $100 million cost reduction target,” said Tim Millage, Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer. “We established this challenging goal in the spring of last year and we reached our target nine months early. We realized $103 million in cost synergies since the BH Media⁽⁴⁾ and Buffalo⁽⁴⁾ acquisitions through acquisition integration and efforts to reign in our legacy print cost structure. Strong revenue performance combined with appropriate cost management resulted in Adjusted EBITDA⁽³⁾ of $40.0 million in the first quarter. With a learner organization, a solid post-pandemic operating strategy and a proven ability to execute give us a lot of optimism as we move past the pandemic and continue to transform into a strong digital subscription business," Millage added.

FIRST QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS

• Total operating revenue was $211.8 million compared to $122.3 million in the same quarter last year, reflecting the acquisition of BH Media and Buffalo News. On a pro forma basis, total operating revenue was down 10.9% to the same quarter last year.
  
  
• Subscription revenue totaled $90.5 million, a 1.9% increase compared to the prior year. Digital-only subscriptions at the end of the quarter totaled 286,000, or up 69.2% compared to the same period last year.
  
  
• Our audiences remain strong in both print and digital due to our focus on relevant news in our local markets. Monthly average page views totaled 488 million, a 13.2% increase compared to the prior year, and monthly average unique visitors totaled 55 million.
  
  
• Total advertising revenue was $102.6 million, a 20.0% decrease compared to the same quarter last year on a pro forma basis. We improved our advertising revenue trends sequentially 670 bps compared to fourth quarter 2020 trends.
  
  
• Revenue at TownNews increased 8.5% in the first quarter and revenue over the last twelve months totaled $25.6 million.
  
  
• Total digital revenue, including digital advertising, digital subscription revenue and digital services, was $62.5 million and represented 29.4% of our operating revenue.
  
  
• Operating expenses totaled $192.5 million and Cash Costs⁽³⁾ on a pro forma basis were down 10.1%. Since the acquisition in March 2020, we achieved $103 million of cash cost synergies, reaching our target established for September 2021.
  
  
• Due to changes in one of our employee contracts, we recognized a $23.8 million noncash curtailment gain associated with elimination of retiree medical benefits. Additionally, we recognized a $12.3 million liability associated with the withdrawal from a multiemployer pension plan. Payments toward the liability are made over 20-years.
  
  
• Net Income totaled $16.4 million and Adjusted EBITDA totaled $40.0 million.

DEBT AND FREE CASH FLOW

On March 16, 2020, the Company closed on the comprehensive refinancing of all of its outstanding debt⁽⁴⁾. The $576 million in financing has a fixed annual interest rate of 9.0%, mandatory payments based on the Company’s Excess Cash Flow⁽⁴⁾, no financial performance covenants and a 25-year maturity.

As of and for the 13-weeks ended December 27, 2020:

• The principal amount of debt totaled $523.6 million, a $52.4 million reduction since the March 2020 refinancing.
  
• Cash on the balance sheet totaled $37.1 million.
  
• Excess Cash Flow for the first quarter totaled $17.1 million and was used to repay debt in the second quarter.
  
• Capital expenditures totaled $1.6 million. For 2021, we expect capital expenditures to total $9.6 million.
  
• For 2021, we expect cash paid for income taxes to total between $4 and $6 million.
  
• Pension contributions totaled $400,000. For 2021, we expect pension contributions to total $3.2 million.

CONFERENCE CALL INFORMATION

As previously announced, we will hold an earnings conference call and audio webcast today at 9 a.m. Central Time. The live webcast will be accessible at www.lee.net and will be available for replay two hours later. Several analysts have been invited to ask questions on the call. Questions from other participants may be submitted by participating in the webcast. The call also may be monitored on a listen-only conference line by dialing (toll free) 800-309-1256 and entering a conference passcode of 693958 at least five minutes before the scheduled start. Participants on the listen-only line will not have the opportunity to ask questions.

ABOUT LEE

Lee Enterprises is a leading provider of local news and information, and a major platform for advertising, with daily newspapers, rapidly growing digital products and over 350 weekly and specialty publications serving 77 markets in 26 states. Year to date, Lee's newspapers have average daily circulation of 1.2 million, and our legacy websites, including acquisitions, reach more than 55 million digital unique visitors. Lee's markets include St. Louis, MO; Buffalo, NY; Omaha, NE; Richmond, VA; Lincoln, NE; Madison, WI; Davenport, IA; and Tucson, AZ. Lee Common Stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol LEE. For more information about Lee, please visit www.lee.net.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS — The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a “safe harbor” for forward-looking statements. This release contains information that may be deemed forward-looking that is based largely on our current expectations, and is subject to certain risks, trends and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. Among such risks, trends and other uncertainties, which in some instances are beyond our control, are:

• Revenues may continue to diminish or declines in revenue could accelerate as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic;
  
• Revenues may continue to be diminished longer than anticipated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic;
  
• The COVID-19 pandemic may result in material long-term changes to the publishing industry which may result in permanent revenue reductions for the Company and other risks and uncertainties;
  
• We may experience increased costs, inefficiencies and other disruptions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic;
  
• We may be required to indemnify the previous owners of the BH Media or the Buffalo for unknown legal and other matters that may arise;
  
• Our ability to manage declining print revenue and circulation subscribers;
  
• That the warrants issued in our 2014 refinancing will not be exercised;
  
• The impact and duration of adverse conditions in certain aspects of the economy affecting our business;
  
• Changes in advertising and subscription demand;
  
• Changes in technology that impact our ability to deliver digital advertising;
  
• Potential changes in newsprint, other commodities and energy costs;
  
• Interest rates;
  
• Labor costs;
  
• Significant cyber security breaches or failure of our information technology systems;
  
• Our ability to achieve planned expense reductions and realize the expected benefit of our acquisitions;
  
• Our ability to maintain employee and customer relationships;
  
• Our ability to manage increased capital costs;
  
• Our ability to maintain our listing status on the NYSE;
  
• Competition; and
  
• Other risks detailed from time to time in our publicly filed documents.

Any statements that are not statements of historical fact (including statements containing the words “may”, “will”, “would”, “could”, “believes”, “expects”, “anticipates”, “intends”, “plans”, “projects”, “considers” and similar expressions) generally should be considered forward-looking statements. Statements regarding our plans, strategies, prospects and expectations regarding our business and industry, including statements regarding the impacts that the COVID-19 pandemic and our responses thereto may have on our future operations, are forward-looking statements. They reflect our expectations, are not guarantees of performance and speak only as of the date the statement is made. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward- looking statements, which are made as of the date of this release. We do not undertake to publicly update or revise our forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

Contact:
IR@lee.net
(563) 383-2100

Medill survey: Few see ads as best answer to money woes

The financial distress threatening the future of the local news industry is now a pervasive concern of those working in the media business, and few of them see ad revenue as the best path forward, according to a new survey by Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications.

Asked to rate their concern about the future sustainability of local news, 81.2% said they were very concerned and 17.7 were somewhat concerned. Only 1% were not at all concerned.

The highest concern was expressed by people working for newspapers (86.7% very concerned) and digital-only outlets (84.5% very concerned).

“I think one of the problems for a number of years was that local news organizations were in a bit of denial about the extent of the problem. Now they’re in no denial,” said Tim Franklin, Medill senior associate dean and John M. Mutz Chair in Local News. “These numbers show everybody gets it. There needs to be a reinvention of local news.”

The Medill Media Industry Survey of nearly 1,400 members of the U.S. news media was conducted by Associate Professor Stephanie Edgerly of the Medill School.

News & Tech

Today in Labor History February 4th

The Ohio legislature authorized construction of the 249-mile Miami and Erie Canal to connect Toledo to Cincinnati. Local historians said “Irish immigrants, convicts and local farmers used picks, shovels and wheelbarrows,” at 30 cents per day, to construct the 249-mile-long waterway. – 1825

The International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers formed at a meeting in Pittsburgh with 16 delegates from local unions. Today, the union represents 120,000 ironworkers in North America. – 1896

Haywood started mining at age nine. He became secretary-treasurer of the Western Federation of Miners in 1900 and co-founded the IWW in 1905. Charged in the bombing murder of former Idaho Governor Frank Steunenberg in 1907, he was acquitted with the counsel of Clarence Darrow. His radicalism led to his dismissal from the WFM in 1918. That same year, a victim of the Red Scare, he was convicted of violating alien and sedition acts and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. However, he jumped bail and fled to the Soviet Union, where he died in 1928. – 1869

Rosa Parks, whose refusal to give up her bus seat to a white man launched the 1955 Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott and the birth of the civil rights movement, was born on this date in Tuskegee, Alabama. – 1913

Unemployment demonstrations took place in major U.S. cities. – 1932

37,000 maritime workers on the West Coast struck for wage increases. – 1937

President Barack Obama imposed $500,000 caps on senior executive pay for the most distressed financial institutions receiving federal bailout money, saying Americans are upset with “executives being rewarded for failure”. – 2009

Important Events From This day in History February 4th

 1938 - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

1938 : The animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was released and had major success in the box-office, making more money than any other motion picture up till that point. Find More What happened in 1938

 

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1959 - Barbie Doll

1959 : Today was the first day of the invention of the Barbie Doll. This doll was created by Ruth Handler, who was one of the founders of the Mattel Company. Barbie was named after Ruth's daughter. Later on, when the Ken doll was made, it was named after Ruth's son.

 

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4 Feb, 1920 - U.S. Prohibition

1920 : Someone had stolen 21 barrels of whiskey which was held at a Pennsylvania brewery. The person who had taken this liquor was sentenced a fine of $7,000. This particular crime had taken place during the Prohibition Era, during a time when the sale of alcohol was not allowed. By the way, liquor licenses were still being granted during this time. However, beverages could not contain more than one-half percent of alcohol in them.

 

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1922 - Lincoln / Ford

1922 : Lincoln purchased the Ford Company for $8 million dollars on this day. During the time of this transition, Henry Ford had assumed position of president of Lincoln.

 

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http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/february5th.html

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1931 - US Banks Go Bust

1931 : As banks continue to close across the US when depositors ask for their deposits back, the problems continue to escalate as most small banks had large amounts invested in the stock market and with the crash of wall street in late 1929 many banks do not have sufficient funds left to meet current members deposits. Many are going into receivership with little help for investors. The government is looking at schemes to bail the banks out and help consumer confidence.

 

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1932 - Winter Olympics

1932 : The first Winter Olympics to be held in the United States. These games took place in Lake Placid, New York.

 

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1937 - U.S. Floods

1937 : Restrictions were lifted from flood quarantine areas on this day. People could return to these areas that were originally prohibited from entering without any further threat of disease or sickness. A main concern regarding the possible spread of disease epidemic applied to those unregistered refugees who had not yet been immunized. They had been confined to one specific area for as long as was decided was necessary.

 

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1943 - Olds Patent

1943 : Ransom Eli Olds, the creator of one of the first internal combustion engine designs, received his last patent on this day. Olds was noted for creating the first automobile production line, through a company that has made cars such as the Olds Runabout.

 

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1948 - Ceylon Independence

1948 : Ceylon now Sri Lanka gains independence from British rule and becomes an independent dominion within the British Commonwealth.

 

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1950 - British Atomic Scientist

1950 : On this day a British Atomic scientist was arrested and charge of gathering information that would be useful to enemy forces. He was the holder of some of the most classified (top secret) information regarding the A-bomb. He was found out by American FBI agents, and these agents reported the info to the Scotland Yard.

 

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4 Feb, 1957 - Smith-Corona

1957 : This was the first day of the sale of Smith-Corona portable typewriters. This company had been producing typewriters since 1886 , when it created the first upper and lower-case typing model.

 

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1964 - U.S.A. Poll Tax

1964 : As of this date, it was no longer legal to charge a poll tax for voting. This action was repealed upon the passing of the 24th Amendment.

 

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1968 - Kenya

1968 : The continued persecution of Asians in Kenya is forcing many thousands to leave the country and many are choosing Britain for their future . Kenya has introduced new tough immigration laws which only allow work permits to Kenyan Citizens.

 

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1969 - PLO Formed

1969 : The Palestine Liberation Organization was founded on this day. It was an organization that was established to represent the Palestinian people while Yasir Arafat was in office.

 

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1974 - UK Bombing

1974 : A bomb believed to have been set by the IRA kills 11 including soldiers and children when the coach they were travelling in is blown up by a bomb.

 

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1974 - Patricia Hearst

1974 : Newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst is kidnapped in Berkeley, California by the Symbionese Liberation Army.

 

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1976 - Patricia Hearst

1976 : In Guatemala and Honduras a 7.5 magnitude earthquake centered about 160 km northeast of Guatemala City kills more than 22,000. The quake caused major landslides which blocked transport routes leaving food and water supplies were severely reduced. Some of the areas were without electricity and communication for up to 1 week and the main shock was followed by thousands of aftershocks, some of the larger ones causing additional loss of life and damage.

 

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1988 - UK Seamen Strike

1988 : Ferry ports in the UK are causing major congestion on roads on the south coast as British Seamen continue their strike without union backing. The strike is because of the increase of cheaper low-cost Third World crews, while making British Seamen redundant.

 

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1997 - O.J. Simpson

1997 : A civil jury panel in Santa Monica, California had determined that O.J. Simpson was guilty of the deaths of both his ex-wife Nicole Brown-Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. He had originally been acquitted in the year 1995

 

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4 Feb, 1998 - Afghanistan Earthquake

1998 : An earthquake in northern Afghanistan has left up to 4000 dead, and tens of thousands more injured or 4th homeless. The earthquake epicenter was close to the city of Rostaq in the remote province of Takhar, close to the border with Tajikistan.

 

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2003 - Yugoslavia Country Dissolved

2003 : Lawmakers formally dissolve Yugoslavia and replace it with a loose union of Serbia and Montenegro.

 

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2004 - Massachusetts Gay Marriage

2004 : The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court declared that same-sex marriage is legal.

 

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2004 - Facebook

2004 : Facebook, a mainstream online social network is founded by Mark Zuckerberg.

 

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2006 - Danish and Norwegian Embassies Destroyed in Syria

2006 : Following the publishing of caricatures of the prophet Muhammad Muslim protesters torched and destroyed the Danish and Norwegian embassies in Damascus. And in Gaza, Palestinians marched through the streets, storming European buildings and burning German and Danish flags.

 

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2007 - U.S. Generals Against Military Strike on Iran

2007 : Three former military officers have warned against a military strike on Iran, and said that such action would have 'disastrous consequences' for the security in the Middle-east, and for coalition forces in Iraq. They agree that the crisis over Iran's nuclear program should be resolved through diplomacy, and urge Washington to start direct talks with that country. These warnings were published in Britain's Sunday Times newspaper, and signed by: Lieutenant-General Robert Gard, a former military assistant to the U.S. Defense Secretary, General Joseph Hoar, a former Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Central Command and Vice Admiral Jack Shanahan, a former Director of the Center for Defense Information.

 

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2008 - China Snow Storm

2008 : China has been hit by the worst snow storms in 50 years and some of the worst affected are the poorest in China. The Chinese rural population of farmers do not have the high tech farm machinery needed to weather these type of conditions and are living very close to poverty so when a natural disaster occurs like this which ruins the crops many are forced into near starvation.

 

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2008 - US Navy Must Follow Environmental Laws

2008 : A Federal judge has ruled that the Navy must follow environmental laws by placing limits on its mid-frequency sonars. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper has written that the Navy is not exempt from a compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act, and a court injunction has created a 12-nautical-mile no-sonar zone along the coastline of southern California. President Bush had decided to exempt the Navy from this law.

 

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2008 - New President of Mormon Church

2008 : Thomas S. Monson has been named as the 16th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and has said that the church will not be veering from the course that was set by his predecessor, Gordon B. Hinckley. He has taken over at a time when the church has been undergoing a rapid growth around the globe, and been getting a lot of attention from Mitt Romney's campaign for the White House.

 

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2009 - Gaddafi Speaks Out on Democracy in Africa

2009 : The new African Union (A.U.) chairman, Libya's Muammar Gaddafi, has said that multi-party democracy in Africa always leads to bloodshed. He was speaking at the A.U. summit in Ethiopia, where he went on to explain that Africa was essentially tribal environment, and that political parties themselves became tribalised, which led to further bloodshed. He concluded that the best model for Africa was his own country, where opposition parties are not allowed.

 

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2010 - Bank of America / Merrill Lynch

2010 : Legal action has started against the Bank of America and its former executives, and accuses them of duping investors and taxpayers during their takeover of Merrill Lynch. The defendants are accused of having withheld details of Merrill Lynch's huge losses. New York state officials have filed an action against the bank, its former chief-executive Kenneth Lewis and former chief-financial officer Joseph Price. Bank of America has said that the charges are 'regrettable.' The charges are for duping shareholders and the federal government in order to complete the merger.

 

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2010 - Google Books

2010 : The Department of Justice has said that it is not satisfied with a deal that allows the search engine Google to build a vast digital library. It says that the plan fails to address its antitrust and copyright concerns. It has been following the online retailer Amazon's complaints that Google's plan to scan and distribute books online could lead to a monopoly. The Department of Justice is advising the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York that issues in the settlement agreement from The Authors Guild Inc. et al. v. Google Inc., class certification, copyright and antitrust still remain.

 

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2010 - Barack Obama's Aunt in Court for Asylum Case

2010 : Barack Obama's Kenyan aunt has appeared at a court in Boston on a second attempt to gain political asylum in the United States. The immigration hearing for 57-year-old Zeituni Onyango has ended without an immediate decision on her asylum. The half-sister of Mr. Obama's father, Onyango had moved to the U.S. in 2000. Her first asylum application was rejected in 2004, and she was ordered to be deported, but continued living in public housing in Boston. Her immigration status became an issue during Mr. Obama's election campaign. He said at the time that he was not aware of his aunt being in the U.S. illegally.

 

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2011 - The Philippines Bans Logging

2011 : President Benigno Aquino of the Philippines announced a nationwide ban on logging after the country suffers from flooding and mudslides. In January over seventy people died from floods and President Aquino believed that too much logging might have contributed to the causes of the flooding.

 

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2012 - Mexican Police Arrest Leader of Gente Nueva Gange

2012 : Police in Mexico have announced that they captured and arrested Jose Antonio Torres Marrufo, the suspected leader of the Gente Nueva gang (a part of the Sinaloa drug cartel). Police arrested him and his bodyguard in Leon and say that the two men were carrying weapons and crystal meth.

 

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2013 - France Women Pants Ban Lifted

2013 : The government of France has overturned a two-hundred year law that banned women from wearing trousers. The law had effectively been out of use for several years as people just ignored the law, however the change would make it formally legal for women to wear trousers.

 

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2014 - Libya Announces Destruction of Chemical Weapons

2014 : The foreign minister of Libya announced that all of the country's chemical weapons had finally been destroyed. The process had begun in 2004 when the country had signed the Chemical Weapons Convention.

Los Angeles County Covid-19 Trends Feb. 1st to Feb. 3rd

                NEW CASES                DEATHS                HOSPITALIZATIONS

1ST                 4,223                           85                                 5,398

2ND                3,763                          205                                5,259

3RD                5,189                          256                                5,165 

Wednesday Night in the Blogosphere

 

The Philadelphia Inquirer’s printing plant has been sold - Poynter

McClatchy will outsource printing for two NC newsrooms - Poynter

Nextdoor May Be Latest Social-Media Threat To Local News - MediaPost

The history of American newspapers is more searchable than ever - Nieman Lab

Reid Newspapers Acquires Oklahoma Newspapers From Gannett - Editor & Publisher

Building audience's trust can help your newsroom become sustainable - Journalism UK

N&O and Herald-Sun newspapers will move printing to Fayetteville to reduce costs - N&O

Quality, Quick Turnarounds Are Key to Access Direct Mail's PI 350 Fast-Track Growth - PI

Magazines still have a future. But it’s very different from their past - What's New in Publishing

Palmer Luckey's Anduril builds huge new HQ in former Times printing plant - Los Angeles Times

Guide Dog Foundation Celebrates 75 Years Placing Guide Dogs

 

Guide dog school carries on mission of providing life-changing guide dogs free of charge

SMITHTOWN, N.Y., Feb. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Guide Dog Foundation, an industry leader in guide and service dog training, celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. In 1946, five community leaders founded a guide dog school in Queens, New York, to provide guide dogs at no charge for blind or visually impaired individuals, including veterans who had returned from the battlefields of Europe and the Pacific. Seventy-five years later, the Foundation remains devoted to its mission to improve the quality of life for people who are blind, have low vision, or other special needs.

The Foundation kicked off its 75th Anniversary on Monday, February 1, in recognition of the completion of their first guide dog class in 1946, with a special birthday party–themed puppy livestream at its campus in Smithtown, New York. On Thursday, February 4, the Foundation will host a car parade to continue the week of celebration. Trainers, staff, puppies and dogs, dressed in party hats and holding signs, will line the Foundation’s 10-acre campus. Long Island–based volunteers, donors and supporters will caravan through the grounds to celebrate this milestone.

"The Guide Dog Foundation has achieved this milestone through the hard work and dedication of our volunteers, donors and staff, instilling a culture of service that exists throughout the entire organization,” says John Miller, president & CEO of the Guide Dog Foundation. “It brings all of us at the Foundation great pride and joy to be able to provide these life-changing dogs to individuals who are blind or have low vision for 75 years. As we continue to further our mission, we remain a committed advocate for the disability community.”

To celebrate more than seven decades of this vital work, Guide Dog Foundation partners Nylabone and KONG have generously donated dog toys and bones to be presented to program puppies and dogs, and to our recent Foundation graduates and their new guide dogs. Additionally, a new virtual run and dog walk fundraising event, as well as several new 75th-themed program sponsorships have been created to support the Foundation as it continues to fulfill its mission to provide these life-changing dogs at no cost to the individual.

Recent program graduate and Team USA Paralympian swimmer Anastasia Pagonis shares the positive change in her life since she partnered with guide dog Radar: “Having Radar has just given me so much confidence and independence – and I’m so in love with him. He’s the best thing ever. We’re a match made in heaven.”

It costs over $50,000 to breed, raise, train, and place one assistance dog, but the Guide Dog Foundation provides its services completely free of charge to the individual. All of its funding comes from the generous contributions of individuals, fundraising events (such as the canine couture fashion show “Dogs on the Catwalk”), corporations, foundations, businesses, and community organizations. To learn more about Guide Dog Foundation, or to purchase tickets to the event, slated for October, visit GuideDog.org.

Follow the @GuideDogFoundation on Facebook and Instagram, @GuideDogFdn on Twitter, throughout the year as it journeys through its storied history.

Link here for press kit, additional Foundation B-roll, photos and video assets.

ABOUT GUIDE DOG FOUNDATION
For 75 years, the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, Inc. (www.GuideDog.org), has trained and placed guide and service dogs to provide independence, enhanced mobility, and companionship to people who are blind, have low vision, or have other special needs. The Guide Dog Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization serving clients from across the United States and Canada. The Foundation relies on contributions from generous individuals, corporations, service clubs, and foundations to fund its mission to serve people with disabilities. It costs over $50,000 to breed, raise, train, and place one assistance dog, but the Guide Dog Foundation provides its services completely free of charge to the individual. Its sister organization, America’s VetDogs, trains and provides guide, service, and hearing dogs for disabled veterans and first responders. The Guide Dog Foundation was the first assistance dog school in the United States to be accredited by both the International Guide Dog Federation and Assistance Dogs International.

Allison Storck
Guide Dog Foundation
631-334-2615
Allison@GuideDog.org

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/abaaa869-78c9-4234-b7fb-f2a76ea450fa

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ff7f44e4-c41d-440a-acf6-c087ebe2b371

A video accompanying this announcement is available at 
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b23c6a03-f6b5-466a-8cfc-42a1f803d63d

HD Media files suit against Google, Facebook

HD Media, a West Virginia newspaper company, filed a federal antitrust lawsuit Jan. 29 against Google and Facebook charging the companies with monopolizing the digital advertising market. This is believed to be the first lawsuit of its kind filed by a newspaper company against the tech giants for their monopolistic practices, said a HD Media news release.

Owner of the Charleston Gazette-Mail, The Herald-Dispatch (Huntington) and a half-dozen weeklies, HD Media filed a 42-page complaint in the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia.

HD Media claims Google has monopolized the digital advertising market to such an extent that Google has been enabled to extract a supracompetitive share of HD Media’s advertising revenues, harming the company’s ability to effectively monetize its content. The complaint alleges that Google and Facebook violated antitrust laws by conspiring to further their worldwide dominance of the digital advertising market, entering into a secret agreement codenamed “Jedi Blue” to manipulate online auctions.

The complaint also alleges that Google has monopolized the digital advertising market to such an extent it threatens the extinction of local papers across the country.

“The freedom of the press is not at stake,” the suit says. “The press itself is at stake.”

“We invite every other newspaper in America to join this cause,” said Doug Reynolds, HD Media managing partner. “We are fighting not only for the future of the press but also the preservation of our democracy.”

News & Tech

Today in Labor History February 3rd

The U.S. Supreme Court rules the United Hatters Union violated the Sherman Antitrust Act by organizing a nationwide boycott of Danbury Hatters of Connecticut - 1908

 
U.S. Supreme Court upholds the Wages and Hours (later Fair Labor Standards) Act banning child labor and establishing the 40-hour work week - 1941

An explosion at a Thiokol chemical plant near Woodbine, Georgia kills 29 workers, seriously injures 50.  An investigation found that contributing factors to the explosion were mislabeled chemicals, poor storage procedures and insufficient fire protection - 1971