[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 112 (Friday, June 9, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Page 36716]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-14692]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE


Notice of Application by the Denver Rocky Mountain News and The 
Denver Post for Approval of a Joint Newspaper Operating Arrangement

AGENCY: Department of Justice.

ACTION: Notice of public's right to comment.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Attorney General has received 
an application for approval of a joint newspaper operating arrangement 
involving two daily newspapers in Denver, Colorado. The application was 
filed on May 12, 2000 by The E.W. Scripps Company, whose subsidiary, 
the Denver Publishing Company, publishes the Denver Rocky Mountain 
News, and the MediaNews Group, Inc., whose subsidiary, the Denver Post 
Corporation, publishes The Denver Post. The proposed arrangement 
provides that the printing and commercial operations of both newspapers 
would be handled by a third entity, the ``Agency'' which will be owned 
by the parties in equal shares. The joint operating agreement provides 
for the complete independence of the news and editorial departments of 
the two newspapers.
    The Newspaper Preservation Act, 15 U.S.C. 1801 et seq., requires 
that joint newspaper operating arrangements such as that proposed by 
the Denver newspapers have the prior written consent of the Attorney 
General of the United States in order to qualify for the antitrust 
exemption provided by the Act. Before granting her consent, the 
Attorney General must find that one of the publications is a failing 
newspaper and that approval of the arrangement would effectuate the 
policy and purpose of the Act. Any person with views about the proposed 
arrangement may file written comments stating the reasons why approval 
should or should not be granted, or requesting that a hearing be held 
on the application. A request for hearing must set forth the issues of 
fact to be determined and the reason that a hearing is believed 
necessary to determine them.
    All correspondence to the Department of Justice, the Attorney 
General and other Senior Department Officials commenting on the 
proposed JOA will be placed in the public file and made available as 
described below.

DATES AND PLACE FOR FILING: Comments shall be filed by mailing or 
delivering five copies to the Assistant Attorney General for 
Administration, Justice Management Division, Department of Justice, 
Washington, DC 20530, and must be received by July 10, 2000. Replies to 
any comments filed on or before that date may be filed on or before 
August 8, 2000.

ADDRESSES: In accordance with the Newspaper Preservation Act 
Regulations, at 28 CFR Part 48, copies of the proposed arrangement and 
other materials filed by the newspapers in support of the application 
are available for public inspection in the main offices of the 
newspapers involved. In addition, these materials plus any filed 
comments are available for public inspection in the Department of 
Justice, National Place Building, 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Suite 
1220, Washington, DC 20530.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stuart Frisch, General Counsel, 
Justice Management Division, 202-514-3452.

    Dated: June 6, 2000.
Stephen R. Colgate,
Assistant Attorney General for Administration.
[FR Doc. 00-14692 Filed 6-8-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-AR-M