Tribune defies AT&T over sale

Executives of the Salt Lake Tribune were locked in conflict Friday with their owner, AT&T Broadband, as well as their pending owners, MediaNews Group, following AT&T's announcement that it had agreed to sell the Tribune to the Denver-based newspaper group. AT&T termed the paper a "non-strategic asset."

Early Friday, Tribune executives ejected from their offices AT&T representatives who had come to Salt Lake City to announce the sale and later refused to allow those representatives and MediaNews Chief Executive Officer W. Dean Singleton to meet with Tribune employees to discuss the sale.

Related links and archive stories: Media NewsGroup press release AT&T press release Salt Lake Tribune Coverage on KSL-TV including video link \ AT&T sale of Tribune announced Deseret News seeks 'level playing field' News has no intent to buy Tribune What is LDS Church's involvement with the Deseret News? Deseret News 1850-2000

After receiving pressure from AT&T lawyers, they recanted and agreed to a late afternoon meeting with a small group of Tribune representatives.

The Salt Lake Tribune Publishing Co., LLC, the paper's management group, filed suit in federal court Friday against AT&T Corp. and AT&T Broadband & Internet Services, LLC, to stop the sale of the newspaper to MediaNews Group.

In an interview with the Deseret News, Tribune General Manager Randy Frisch charged that "Mr. Singleton is a front for the Deseret News," an allegation that Singleton, a staunch Baptist, rejected as "mind-boggling."

"We respect and admire the Deseret News and the (LDS) Church, and we look forward to being their partner in the JOA (the joint operating agreement involving the papers and the Newspaper Agency Corp.), but they are in no way involved in our purchase of the Tribune," Singleton said.

The only reason that he even discussed the deal with Deseret News management, Singleton said, is the fact that, under his organization's reading of the JOA contract, the Deseret News must approve the sale of the JOA's interests before any sale can go forward.

The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also dismissed Frisch's claim, saying it "denies any and all accusations that Mr. Dean Singleton and MediaNews Group, who are reported to have purchased The Salt Lake Tribune, are acting as a front for the church."

L. Glen Snarr, chairman of the board of Deseret News Publishing Co., also denied that the newspaper is a party to the purchase but noted that the deal will mean MediaNews will replace AT&T as joint owner of the NAC, which provides circulation, advertising and production services for both the Deseret News and the Tribune under the joint operating agreement. The Deseret News and the Tribune each owns one-half of the NAC.