UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): January 14, 2015
_______________________________________________________________________
LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
_______________________________________________________________________
Commission File Number 1-6227
Delaware (State of Incorporation) | 42-0823980 (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
201 N. Harrison Street, Davenport, Iowa 52801
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
(563) 383-2100
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
[ ] Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
[ ] Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
[ ] Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
[ ] Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
Item 5.02. | Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers. |
On January 14, 2015, Carl G. Schmidt, Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Lee Enterprises, Incorporated (the “Company”), notified Mary E. Junck, the Company’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, of his intention to retire on July 1, 2015. Mr. Schmidt will continue to serve as Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer until his retirement date.
Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure.
The Company’s press release announcing Mr. Schmidt’s plan to retire is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K.
Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) | Exhibits | ||
99.1 | News Release of Lee Enterprises, Incorporated dated January 16, 2015 | ||
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED | ||
 | ||
Date: January 19, 2015 | By: | |
C. Dana Waterman III | ||
Secretary | ||
201 N. Harrison St.
Davenport, IA 52801
www.lee.net
NEWS RELEASE
Lee Enterprises announces CFO Carl Schmidt plans to retire
DAVENPORT, Iowa (January 16, 2015) - Lee Enterprises, Incorporated (NYSE: LEE), a leading provider of news, information and advertising in 50 markets, announced today that Carl G. Schmidt, vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer, has informed the company that he plans to retire July 1. |  | |
“Lee is in a very good place,” Schmidt said. “Our long-term financing is set through 2022, and we have built a solid foundation for the future. As a result, it allows me an opportunity to spend more time closer to, and with, my growing family, give something back through volunteering and otherwise accomplish a few of the things on my must do list.” | ||
He added: “Lee is a great company with strong leadership, great people and a bright future. I’ve had many challenges and opportunities here and hope my contribution has been a positive one. I will always be grateful for the experience, and especially to the people who cover the news, sell the advertising and otherwise make the company a success.” | ||
Mary Junck, Lee chairman and chief executive officer, said a search for a successor has begun and Spencer Stuart is assisting. | ||
“Carl has been an extraordinary leader in keeping Lee on sound financial footing throughout the recession and the challenges our industry has faced,” she said. “I have enjoyed working side by side with Carl. He has been tireless, diligent, perseverant and forward-thinking. The board of directors joins me in expressing our appreciation to Carl for his many contributions to the long-term benefit of our company. We will miss Carl but take great comfort in the strong staff he has developed and the enduring legacy he leaves.” | ||
Schmidt, 58, joined Lee in 2001. He previously was senior vice president and chief financial officer, secretary and treasurer of Johnson Outdoors, a publicly traded affiliate of the SC Johnson group of companies, which he joined in 1994. He began his career in 1978 as a certified public accountant at the Big Four accounting firm of KPMG LLP, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After a series of promotions, he became a partner in 1988. | ||
He is a graduate of Marquette University. He has worked with many non-profit organizations and currently serves on the Board of Genesis Philanthropy. | ||
Lee Enterprises owns 46 daily newspapers and has a joint interest in four others, along with rapidly growing digital products and nearly 300 specialty publications in 22 states. Lee's markets include St. Louis, MO; Lincoln, NE; Madison, WI; Davenport, IA; Billings, MT; Bloomington, IL; and Tucson, AZ. Lee Common Stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol LEE. For more information about Lee, please visit lee.net. | ||
Contact: dan.hayes@lee.net, (563) 383-2100 | ||