Lee to Tout Newspapers in Local Campaigns

By: Mark Fitzgerald Community newspaper publisher Lee Enterprises Inc. is preparing to roll out a campaign reassuring advertisers -- and employees -- in its local markets that its papers are not dying out.

"We're also launching a public relations campaign for employees and advertisers to counter the continuing, irrational negativity about the future of newspapers," writes Mary Junck, chairman, president and CEO, in a letter to Lee stockholders. "The campaign will be locally focused and tailored to each location."

The campaign will have the tagline "First. Best. Today. Tomorrow," Junck said. A Lee spokesman said materials for the campaign, likely to be launched in September, are still being developed and aren't ready yet for public disclosure. But Junck lays out the talking points of the campaign in the shareholder letter commenting on the chain's fiscal third-quarter performance, which was filed Monday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The first of the key points, she writes, is that "our audiences are huge and growing," with Lee newspapers and Web sites reaching "up to three-fourths or more of adults in our markets."

Lee is also emphasizing that its newspapers appeal to younger age groups. "We reach 60% or more of 18- to 29-year-olds," she wrote. "Our [print] newspapers alone reach more than 50%."

Lee also notes that it employs more journalists than "all of our competitors combined," making the papers "first and best in local news."

The campaign also claims for Lee the status of "first and best in advertising: No competitor can match the results we deliver through our newspapers, niche publications and online sites."

Finally, the campaign emphasizes the financial health of Lee. "We continue to generate substantial cash flow in a difficult economy," Junck wrote.

The shareholder letter coincided with release of the its latest quarterly results, in which it swung to a loss of $24.5 million, or 55 cents a share, on ad revenue that fell 24.3% from the year-ago period.

Like its newspaper peers, Lee Enterprises stock, which trades under the LEE symbol on the New York Stock Exchange, has had a remarkable recent run-up in price after being hammered down by more than 90% of its value since last fall.

In midday trading Monday, LEE shares were priced at $1.50, up 9 cents, or 6.4%, from the open. The stock has traded in a 52-week range of 24 cents to $3.97.