DAVENPORT, Iowa – Newspaper publisher Lee Enterprises Inc. said Monday that a judge had approved its debt refinancing plan, which will allow it to emerge from prepackaged Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Jan. 30.
The publisher of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and nearly 50 other newspapers filed for bankruptcy protection on Dec.12 to compel a small minority of lenders to go along with a refinancing plan that gives the company more time to repay about $1 billion in debt. The plan extends due dates to December 2015 and April 2017.
Lee CEO Mary Junck said the favourable outcome will give the company nearly four years to continue improving its balance sheet.
Lee’s stock jumped 21 cents, or 24 per cent, to close at $1.10 on Monday.
