The parent company of the Los Angeles Times may end its contract with the Associated Press as the newspaper tries to cut costs.
Tribune Co. gave notice to the AP on Friday that it intends to stop using AP stories Oct. 15, 2010, a statement from the Chicago company said.
The statement did not say how much money it would save and Tribune spokesman Gary Weitman said the company cannot comment beyond the statement. A Baltimore Sun spokeswoman declined to comment further.
AP requires that its clients give two years notice before ending its subscription to the newswire service.
The announcement comes as daily metropolitan newspapers are struggling with a downturn in the economy and the loss of readers to the Internet. In August, the Sun eliminated 100 jobs as Tribune slashed hundreds of jobs at its newspapers, including the Times and its flagship Chicago Tribune.
This year Tribune became a privately held company after an $8.2 billion buyout led by Chicago real estate mogul Sam Zell.
AP spokesman Paul Colford said the Tribune’s notice gives the media company an opportunity to leave AP, but does not mean that the paper will necessarily drop AP.
Many newspapers file notices but then do not ultimately drop the service, he said.
“We understand that in this climate a lot of newspapers are reexamining their strategies,” an AP statement said.
The AP recently unveiled a new pricing rate that charges more for premium content. It takes effect next year.
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