By: E&P Staff The Publisher of the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram has denied
reports that the paper could shut down soon, saying that the rumour is the result of reading court documents out of context.
Charles C. Cochrane, publisher/CEO of Blethen Maine Newspapers, told employees in an e-mail Tuesday that an affadavit filed in a court case said it was possible the company could be dismantled without a sale. But he maintains that outcome is neither imminent nor likely.
"Blethen Maine Newspapers is not likely to be closed down soon, and that has not been asserted in the court filing," Cochrane wrote to employees.
Blethen Maine publishes two daily papers in addition to the Press Herald/Sunday Telegram: the Kennebec Journal in Augusta, and the Morning Sentinel in Waterville. The company is currently negotiating a sale to Maine Media Investments, a group that includes William S. Cohen, a former U.S. senator from Maine and former secretary of defense; businessman Robert Baldacci, brother of Maine Gov. John Baldacci; developer Michael Liberty; and Richard L. Connor, a Bangor native who is a Pennsylvania newspaper publisher.
The affadavit was filed as a part of a legal dispute between Blethen Maine Newspapers and the Portland Newspaper Guild, which represents about 300 workers. The company filed the lawsuit last June to settle the issue of whether a new owner of the newspaper would have to honor the labor contract signed by the company and the guild last fall. Blethen Maine Newspapers argues that no legal obligation exists, while guild members say it does.
Cochrane presented in the affidavit what has been described as a worst-case scenario, which he says formed the basis of recent reports. He and Guild President Tom Bell told the Press Herald that they were "cautiously optimistic" about the possible sale to Maine Media Investments.
Bell told the paper the union is "frustrated with these thinly reported stories and we have no evidence that there is a risk of the paper shutting down. We don't believe it will happen."
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here