[JURIST] Gannett Company [official site], the nation's largest newspaper publisher, and the New York Times Company [official corporate site], are under investigation by federal antitrust enforcers regarding their plans to acquire rival papers, according to a report Monday by the Wall Street Journal [subscription required]. The Justice Department is specifically investigating Gannett's proposed buyout of HomeTown Communications Network Inc. [official site], a Midwest publisher of 59 community newspapers, and the New York Times Company's plans to acquire a 49 percent stake in Metro Boston, a competitor of the Boston Globe [official site], also owned by the Times. The Times deal has already generated a complaint from the owners of the Boston Herald [official site]. Although both deals are relatively small, they may be subject to tough DOJ scrutiny, as the newspaper industry heads into another round of consolidation. AP has the full story here.
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