Posted on 10/03/2007 10:38:39 AM PDT by LdSentinal
CHICAGO Sun-Times Media Group (STMG) said Wednesday it is merging the Daily Southtown with the two south suburban Chicago Star weeklies.
STMG said it is still not clear how he combination will be worked out. One spokesperson said the combined paper will be a daily with zoned sections covering south suburban communities.
In the announcement, STMG said the combined publication will launch in mid-November. The merger is expected to save $3 million annually for the struggling publisher of the Chicago Sun-Times and about 100 Chicago-area dailies and non-dailies.
STMG warned in May when it presented a business plan to investors that it could close as many as 25 publications before the year was out.
"Combining the two newspapers takes advantage of the strengths that the Southtown and Star have in the south suburban Chicago markets," STMG CEO Cyrus F. Freidheim said in a statement. "What's more, increased zoning opportunities will enhance our new paper's attractiveness to advertisers, while reducing costs of newsprint, circulation sales and head count."
The number of jobs lost by the merger was not yet clear.
The Southtown's current circulation is not publicly disclosed because it is being sanctioned by the Audit Bureau of Circulations for reporting inflated numbers. In 2004, it reported a daily circulation of 48,858.
The Star publishes editions in Tinley Park, Ill., and Crown Point, Ind.
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