Statement of Seattle Times Publisher Frank Blethen regarding the Washington State Supreme Court ruling in The Times' favor in the lawsuit brought against The Times by the Hearst Corporation regarding the interpretation of the "loss clause" in the Joint Operating Agreement (JOA) between The Times and New York-headquartered Hearst Corporation:

"The Seattle Times family is gratified that the state's highest court has upheld the Appeals Court ruling. This lawsuit has been a costly and time-consuming effort during a particularly difficult time for metropolitan daily newspapers.

"The Times has lost money every year since 2000. It is our hope that the Hearst Corporation will join The Times in modifying the JOA contract to reflect today's difficult newspaper economics so that The Times has a fair chance to become profitable again. A return to profitability will enable The Times to remain locally-owned and focused on quality, independent journalism for our city and our region.

"The Times entered the JOA more than 20 years ago with the Post-Intelligencer, which was failing financially. For most of that time the JOA served our community well, but it doesn't any more. Increased media competition, changing demographics and economic pressures have made the JOA, as presently structured, obsolete and a threat to The Times' survival. Our only objective, when we acted reluctantly to modify the terms of the JOA, was to assure the preservation of The Seattle Times as a financially viable newspaper serving the needs of the community.

"Providing strong independent journalism for our community remains our focus. Our enlightening five-part series, "Suddenly Sick", which started this past Sunday, is the latest example of the important contribution we make to a well- informed community. We will continue with this important mission, even as we continue to fight for survival."