Thomson Puts U.S. Newspapers Up for Sale

Thomson Corp. is selling its U.S. newspaper business of 49 local and regional dailies to concentrate on business and professional information services that could be delivered electronically. The dailies being sold are small; most have circulations of fewer than 50,000. Toronto-based Thomson is also putting up for sale five dailies in Canada and more than 75 non-daily newspapers, most of which are based in the United States. The U.S. newspapers have been grouped into 21 regional clusters, the largest in Ohio, Wisconsin and Indiana. The titles being sold include the Connecticut Post, the Tribune of Mesa, Ariz., and the Post-Crescent in Appleton, Wis. Altogether, the newspapers being sold account for less than 15% of the company’s business. Thomson’s main business is selling specialized legal, professional and educational materials, about half of which is delivered electronically.