Tucson Newspapers CEO quits

Tucson Newspapers CEO and president Mike Jameson resigned Monday. No reason was given for Jameson's resignation; Tucson Newspapers is the advertising and production agency for Lee's Arizona Daily Star and Gannett's Arizona Republic.

Jameson has been at Tucson Newspapers since January 2004; before that, he was publisher of the La Crosse (Wis.) Tribune. Lee bought the Pulitzer-owned Arizona Daily Star in 2005.

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

Lee papers fall for scam ad

The Arizona Daily Star in Tucson, Ariz., and The Journal Times in Racine, Wis., have fallen for a deceptive ad selling "state currency." The ad, which looks like a newspaper story, offers four $2 bills for $12 during an unspecified 48-hour period, after which the price escalates to $17 per bill.

The Arizona Daily Star ran the full-page ad on Jan 18, then wrote a story about the scam on Jan. 27.

Racine Post reports that the Journal Times ran the same ad (for Wisconsin instead of Arizona and seen above) on March 6. The Racine Post called the number in the ad and did the math: The World Reserve Monetary Exchange is offering 50 $2 bills, worth $100, for $588.

The bills that the World Reserve Monetary Exchange is selling are not special -- they are $2 bills, legal U.S. tender, with stickers to change the background behind President Thomas Jefferson and to add a state name. They are worth $2; the value will not increase over time. In fact, it could decrease if the stickers are not easy to remove. There is no state program to change the appearance on any U.S bill. (There are various programs that change the appearance of coins.)

(Via e-mail)

Lee circulation declines

Circulation numbers for the past six months are out. Here's what I've seen so far:

St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, Mo.
Weekday circulation fell 11 percent to 213,472, and Sunday circulation fell 5 percent to 401,427.

Arizona Daily Star, Tucson, Ariz.
Weekday circulation remained the same, but Saturday circulation increased by nearly 6 percent to 102,058. Sunday circulation fell about 8 percent to 135,238.

North County Times, Escondido, Calif.
Weekday circulation fell 18 percent to 68,940.

The Journal Times, Racine, Wis.
Monday through Saturday circulation fell to 27,134 from 27,627 six months ago. Sunday circulation fell to 29,424 from 29,430 six months ago.

Have you seen circulation numbers for other Lee papers? Share them here, or send me an e-mail: lee.ent.watch@gmail.com

Buyouts offered at Arizona Daily Star

Buyouts are being offered at the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson. Reporters are exempt. A memo from publisher John Humenik says "only a limited number" of buyouts will be accepted from each department, but if that unmentioned target number is not met, layoffs will follow.

Humenik's memo:

Dear Arizona Daily Star colleague,

We are announcing a voluntary workforce reduction program for Star employees who meet certain eligibility criteria. This voluntary program is available to all positions in our newsroom, with the exception of reporters. Only a limited number of volunteers will be accepted from each department.

Eligible employees will meet the following criteria:

• Regular full-time or part-time employment status, working 20+ hours each week;
• Completed 5+ full years of service for Star pension vesting;
• Qualify for the Star pension benefit plan as of Oct 31, 2009 (55+ years of age).

Eligible employees approved for the program will receive:

• A severance package that includes two weeks of pay for each completed year of service (maximum of 26 weeks) in exchange for signing a severance agreement;
• Severance paid bi-weekly for the duration of the period, less any applicable taxes or withholdings;
• Participation in the 65% government subsidy program toward the cost of COBRA for up 9 months to subsidize medical coverage, based on the elected medical plan and American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) eligibility guidelines.

If we receive more than an acceptable number of volunteers in a department, we will select employees based on length of service. While we prefer to avoid reductions, it may become necessary to consider an involuntary workforce reduction if we do not receive a sufficient number of volunteers.

If any employee wishes to inquire about the program details, please contact Kelly Acevedo, VP Human Resources, at 573-4252. The deadline to submit a written application to Kelly is 5 PM on Wednesday, October 28, 2009. We will review the applications and meet with the approved employees on November 5th and 6th, with that Friday as the last day of work.

Sincerely,
John M. Humenik
Publisher & Editor

Tucson Citizen may not close after all

The Tucson Citizen was slated to close March 21; now it might not. Gannett says there are two buyers for the afternoon paper, and it will stay open "day to day." The Citizen and Lee's Arizona Daily Star operate under a JOA.

Tucson Citizen to close

Gannett's Tucson Citizen will close March 21, which could help Lee's Arizona Daily Star. The two papers have been in a joint operating agreement since 1940, and have split costs and profits 50-50. (The Star is the bigger of the two papers.) That JOA continues through 2015, meaning Gannett will share the costs and profits until then.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch recently got out of its JOA with the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, which closed in 1986.

Tucson Citizen could close, jeopardize JOA

Gannett says it will close the Tucson Citizen on March 21 unless it finds a buyer. The Citizen is an afternoon paper, and operates under a joint operating agreement with Lee's Arizona Daily Star. Production, distribution and sales for both papers operate under the name Tucson Newspapers Inc. The Citizen is much smaller than the Star (17,000 circ vs. 117,000), but TNI profits are split equally between Gannett and Lee.

Chances of finding a buyer aren't high: The Seattle Post-Intelligencer and the Rocky Mountain News are also for sale.