CHICAGO (AP) — Tribune Co., owner of The Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times and several other news outlets, will not use most Associated Press content next week to test whether the financially struggling company can do without it, according to a story on the Chicago Tribune's Web site.
Tribune said it will use some AP material such as sports statistics and stories it considers vital. The Chicago-based company said it is trying to determine whether severing ties with the news cooperative next fall is a viable option.
The company's television stations and newspapers' online editions will not participate in the experiment. Tribune also owns 23 TV stations, The Baltimore Sun and other dailies.
Tribune newspapers' print editions will rely on Tribune staff and several other news sources including Reuters, The New York Times and GlobalPost next week. Not all the sources are normally available to Tribune papers, according to the company.
"It is a practical way of assessing the implications of doing businesses without the AP wire," Tribune Co. spokesman Gary Weitman said Tuesday. The company will look at using the other news sources to "fill the void" if there is one, he added.
