US District Court Judge Raner Collins has ruled that the Tucson Citizen can remain dead as a print newspaper, saying the Arizona attorney general's office had not shown folding the Gannett Co. daily was a violation of antitrust law. Judge Collins says there is no evidence at the moment that there is a "ready and willing buyer to pay the fair and reasonable liquidation value of the Tucson Citizen assets." On Saturday, the Citizen published its last print edition, and Gannett announced it had terminated its joint operating agreement (JOA) with Lee Enterprises Inc.'s Arizona Daily Star, but that the two would remain partners, sharing profits and expenses in Tucson. Arizona's attorney general argued the move violated terms of the Newspaper Preservation Act and antitrust law generally, and that there was an eligible buyer in Stephen Hadland, a newspaper publisher in Culver City (CA). Hadland offered $400,000 for the assets of the Citizen, which did not include a stake in the JOA, while Gannett initially asked for $1 million, then lowered its price to $800,000. In court, a Gannett lawyer argued the offer was too low, and that it could not be compelled to sell at just any price.
