Independent Record lays off 5

The Independent Record in Helena, Mont., has laid off a full-time copy desk editor, three part-time copy editors and a part-time sports reporter. Two open positions -- one full-time and one part-time -- also were eliminated. Publisher Randy Rickman said the economic slowdown caused the layoffs; other expenses also have been cut, he said.

(Via e-mails. Send tips and Lee news to lee.ent.watch@gmail.com.)

Helena ad manager promoted to regional post

Helena Independent-Record advertising manager Jim Rickman has been promoted to regional advertising director for three Montana papers: The Independent Record in Helana, The Montana Standard in Butte and the Mini Nickel in Bozeman.

Rickman has worked for Lee since 1977.

Montana papers refuse to run union ad

Five Lee papers in Montana refused to run an ad from the United Food and Commercial Workers. Ten other Montana papers ran the ad, which asked readers to call for insurance information. UFCW doesn't sell insurance; it does offer coverage to union members. (Lee has made its anti-union stance pretty well known. Last year it launched Lee Union Free.)

Billings Blog has more on the article that the Butte Weekly (which does not have a website) wrote about the incident, including a very short interview with the publisher of the Helena Independent-Record and Montana Standard.

(Via e-mail)

New publisher at Montana Standard, Independent Record

Randy Rickman was appointed regional publisher for two Montana papers, The Montana Standard in Butte and the Helena Independent Record, on May 13. Rickman had been the publisher of Lee's central California newspapers since 2003.

(Via e-mail)

Lee sponsors tax summit

Lee Enterprises was the sponsor being a Sept. 11 tax summit in Helena, Mont., to "discuss the possibility of drafting and getting the 2009 Legislature to pass a local option tax." (The story says the summit is sponsored by The Billings Chamber of Commerce/Convention and Visitors Bureau, but Missoulapolis points out that an e-mail from the Billings Chamber says: "Many thanks to Lee Newspapers of Montana for sponsoring this Tax Summit.")

Lee's business model doesn't seem to be working -- does it that make sense that the company sponsor a tax summit?

26 more layoffs in Montana, Wyoming, Oregon

In Montana, the Billings Gazette laid off 7 full-time workers -- 2 in the newsroom, 2 in advertising, 2 in production, 1 in circulation -- and 2 part-time production workers last week.

In the same state, the Montana Standard in Butte laid off 7. The Helena Independent-Record laid off 5. In Wyoming, the Casper Star-Tribune laid off 4. In Oregon, Western World laid off 1.

An article in the Gazette quotes Lee VP for publishing Mike Gulledge (also the Gazette's publisher) saying Lee is adopting a "regional approach to providing financial services." Of course, there's been no such announcement -- or mention of layoffs -- on Lee's corporate site.

Graphicdesignr.net blogger Erica Smith -- a Lee employee at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch -- called out Lee for not reporting layoffs. She also does the Paper Cuts site that lists layoffs and buyouts across the industry.

See previous Lee layoffs