It was reported over the last few days that The Tribune Co. that owns The Chicago Tribune, The L.A. Times, and several other newspapers is filing for bankruptcy.

I have received calls and e-mails from people that think the Albert Lea Tribune is a part of that company.

We are not.

Let me make this very clear, the Albert Lea Tribune is owned by Boone Newspapers Inc.

We are a community newspaper group. Community newspapers are doing well, according to the National Newspapers Association.

Many people have either read about or have watched the news over the past few days and weeks about layoffs in the newspaper industry. It is true that layoffs have been happening as this industry; just like many others we are adjusting to the economic times we are facing.

The larger metro newspapers have been hit the hardest with the cost of paper increasing as well as having advertising revenues being lost to Web sites and niche publications.

Community newspapers do not have the overhead that the larger newspapers do and because of that have an easier time making adjustments.

The Albert Lea Tribune has added both a very successful Web site, AlbertLeaTribune.com, as well as a regional magazine, Southern Minnesota, to its media package over the last few years.

These two successful additions combined with our unbelievable reader base that has maintained our newspaper circulation over the last five years and have made it possible for Albert Lea Tribune to continue to grow.

Last January, the Albert Lea Tribune put newspaper presses in our building. For the first time since 1992, the Tribune is now successfully printing your Albert Lea Tribune right here in Albert Lea.

Thank you for allowing me the time to inform you, the customer, of this important industry update, and please let me thank all of the readers, advertisers and carriers for continuing to help the Albert Lea Tribune to grow and inform all the incredible people of southern Minnesota and northern Iowa.

Scott Schmeltzer

publisher

Albert Lea Tribune