Sun-Times reports $35.8 million loss

CHICAGO -- Sun-Times Media Group Inc. says it had a dramatically wider net loss of $35.8 million in the first quarter on continued steep declines in advertising revenue and circulation. The company says it is on track to reach its goal of reducing operating costs by $50 million this year. The parent of the Chicago Sun-Times and more than 90 Chicago area newspapers said first-quarter advertising revenue was down 12.6 percent from a year earlier and circulation revenue was down 8.4 percent. The company also had another $5.5 million in legal costs in the quarter.