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Join TSPR for a weekly conversation about media issues. News Director Rich Egger and expert panelists discuss what’s in the news about the news business.

Hedge fund making a bid to buy another newspaper chain

Poynter, AP, and other news outlets reported last week that Alden Global Capital is making an unsolicited bid to acquire the Iowa-based Lee Enterprises newspaper chain. Alden Global is the hedge fund that bought Tribune Publishing this year.

Unions at a dozen of Lee’s newspapers are urging the company to reject Alden’s offer. The unions say the hedge fund has a history of cutting staff at its newspapers and closing physical newsrooms. The unions say that damages communities while Alden reaps the profits.

For now, Lee has adopted a plan to protect itself from a takeover by Alden.

Lee Enterprises dates back to 1890. It publishes 77 daily newspapers in 26 states, and more than 350 weekly, classified, and specialty publications. Its newspapers include The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, The Quad-City Times in Davenport, and The Pantagraph in Bloomington (Illinois).

Shop Talk is a weekly panel discussion about journalism issues.  This week’s program featured Will Buss, who teaches in the Department of Broadcasting and Journalism at Western Illinois University and advises the student editors at the Western Courier, the students at student radio station The Dog, and the WIU chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists; Rajvee Subramanian, who teaches in the Department of Broadcasting and Journalism at Western Illinois University; and TSPR News Director Rich Egger.

Rich is TSPR's News Director.