According to Editor & Publisher, the Tribune Company has given the Associated Press a two-year notice that it plans to drop the news service. This is the first major newspaper chain to drop AP since it announced a new rate-structure plan.

Tribune Co. owns nine daily papers including the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Sun Sentinel of Fort Lauderdale, The Orlando Sentinel, Red Eye of Chicago, the Hartford Courant, The Baltimore Sun, The Morning Call of Allentown, and The Daily Press of Newport News.

Editor of the Sun Sentinel, Earl Maucker believes "many editors are concerned about the new financial rate model that AP has rolled out. It is a natural approach for us to take a hard look at that. Are there other alternatives out there that would provide the depth and breadth of coverage we need?"

According to Maucker, publishing without AP will be more difficult, but not impossible.

In recent months other papers have given their two-year notice to drop AP, some have even practiced running without AP.

Sources: Editor & Publisher