Gannett, Gatehouse talking merger

Good call about the pension - I didn't even consider that. My friend is at a D-1 state mid-major school, so he's going to be eligible to retire with a full pension by the time he's about 55. Will have both kids through school, tuition-free.

 

Friend of mine who works in the athletic department at a college that won’t be named is fond of saying “We’re the best-run high school in the Big East”

 

Any thoughts on the "Rebuilding America" initiative which I was told will publish at the end of May? The premise is that the coronavirus is over and it's time to Open Sesame.

 

You mean the "Let's force our overworked staffs currently dealing with furloughs to churn out additional content while they're already scrambling to properly cover a global pandemic" initiative?

 

No, actually I mean the "Let's let the underpaid, overworked staffs who don't have to deal with furloughs bite the bullet while the overpaid suits get a bonus unpaid vacation that they can afford and frankly welcome" initiative.

 

Newspaper publishers face elevated default risk in pandemic's wake
From the article: "Gannett faces a roughly $125 million interest payment on its term loan due in June, followed by third- and fourth-quarter payments of approximately $50 million each."

 

LOL. Thanks, man.

 

Can anybody update us on the big newspaper chains and if they have layoffs/furloughs? That'd be Gatehouse, Gannett (or whatever Gannett is called), McClutcheon, Alden, etc.? Any organization doing well except the New York Times and Wash. Post? You'd think people would want to read, read read about COVID-19 and the riots.

 

And the WSJ.

 

I would be surprised if GannettHouse didn't continue furloughs in Q3

 

I read the Boston Globe is up to 146,000 electronic subscribers at $30 a month and another 60,000 on introductory rates. They seem to be profitable.

 

I think you can count on most of the furloughs continuing in order to pay off the loan.