News Corp. reverses decision on Ottaway

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. has decided not to sell The Cape Cod Times, The Standard-Times in New Bedford, and the rest of the community newspapers owned and operated by one of News Corp.'s subsidiaries, Ottaway Newspapers Inc.

Last August, Murdoch set June 30 as the date by which he hoped to complete a deal to divest himself of Ottaway properties.

Ottaway owns a total of eight daily and 15 weekly papers in seven states, including Massachusetts, Maine, and New Hampshire.

Its publications include the Barnstable Patriot and Cape Cod View magazine, which are part of Ottaway's Cape Cod Media Group.

Among Ottaway's other properties are the Nantucket Inquirer and Mirror and New Bedford Standard-Times, the latter of which is part of the South Coast Media Group.

In May, Ottaway announced layoffs at South Coast Media and ordered The Cape Cod Times to trim its budget in response to falling ad revenues. Cape Cod Times editor Paul Pronovost declined to comment on yesterday's decision.

Andy Tomolonis, executive news editor of The Standard-Times, which laid off five full-time and nine part-time employees this spring, said it was "widely received as good news here. We can now continue to do the kind of strong local journalism we've been doing for years."