Globe Gazette editor fired

Joe Buttweiler, editor of the Globe Gazette in Mason City, Iowa, was fired in late September. The paper no longer has an editor -- instead a "leadership team" including city editor Jane Reynolds, news editor Bob Steenson and editorial page editor Tom Thoma has been put in place.

(Via e-mail; send tips, links and memos to lee.ent.watch@gmail.com.)

Lee reporters leave for start-up

Dustin Bleizeffer of the Casper Star-Tribune in Casper, Wyo., and Ruffin Prevost of the Billings Gazette in Billings, Mont., have joined the leadership team of Wyofile, a nonprofit news site in Lander, Wyo. Editor in chief Bleizeffer and managing editor Prevost start their new positions in November.

(Via e-mail; send tips, links and memos to lee.ent.watch@gmail.com.)

Lee Enterprises reinstates 401(k) contributions

Two years after suspending contributions, Lee Enterprises will again contribute to employee 401(k) funds. The letter from Lee CEO Mary Junck:

Oct. 15, 2010

Dear Lee Employee:

I have good news to share.

It's the start of what I hope will be more good news as economic conditions continue to improve and our revenue growth resumes.

Beginning in January, the company will contribute 40 cents to your retirement fund for every dollar you put in, up to 5% of your pay. As before, you must have been employed for one year and have worked 1,000 hours to be eligible for the company match.

Also, three new investment options have been added to Lee's 401(k) Retirement Account Plan. The new funds are JPMorgan SmartRetirement 2050 Fund, Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund and JPMorgan Prime Money Market Fund. You can see details on the JPMorgan website, www.retireonline.com. Educational meetings about investment choices and other 401(k) details will be scheduled for early next year.

We owe this improvement in employee benefits to the many sales and audience initiatives that have begun moving Lee's revenue back toward positive territory. We very much ant to continue improving employee benefits and compensation opportunities when our business sufficiently recovers from the tough ongoing economic conditions.

Thank you, again, for all you do for Lee.

With appreciation and very best regards,
Mary Junck

President's Award winners announced

Lee Enterprises has announced its President's Award winners. Twenty-seven awards were issued; the St. Louis Post-Dispatch appears to be the most honored publication. Congratulations to the winners.

Times designers laid off; Times now hiring designers

On Sept. 21, the Times in Munster, Ind., laid off seven people, including at least two designers. (Six more open positions were cut.)

On Sept. 27, the Times began advertising to fill a position on its design desk.

Post-Dispatch editor predicts Sunday-only print publication

As previously announced, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has killed its Saturday newsstand edition. on Friday, Chad Garrison of the alt-weekly Riverfront Times in St. Louis asked Post-Dispatch editor Arnie Robbins about the change, and the future of the paper.

So, how long until the Post-Dispatch (and all dailies for that matter) cease putting out a print publication all together?

"I'm not feeling particularly clairvoyant this morning," responds Robbins. "But I think in the next ten years you could see the elimination of the weekday paper with the Sunday still coming out in print. The rest of the week would be online or delivered through niche products and phone and e-reader apps. We're working on a few of those projects right now that we're excited about."

Lee Enterprises loses benefits lawsuit

A federal judge ruled Thursday that St. Louis Post-Dispatch employees who retired between 1994 and 2004 should get to keep their lifelong health benefits, which were guaranteed in their union contract. Lee Enterprises cut those benefits more than a year ago.

Following the ruling, Lee Enterprises and the St. Louis Newspaper Guild will begin an arbitration process. Lee is expected to appeal the decision.

The St. Louis Newspaper Guild has details on the background of the case.