Tribune Co. and New York Times Co....

Tribune Co. and New York Times Co. reported higher first-quarter net income, while Washington Post Co. and Knight Ridder Newspapers reported lower profits. Tribune Co., a diversified media company, said net income, including gains from its sale of the Daily News in Van Nuys, was $106 million. First-quarter profit last year was $16.6 million. Properties of Tribune Co. include the Chicago Tribune and New York Daily News, television stations KTLA in Los Angeles, WGN in Chicago and WPIX in New York, the Chicago Cubs baseball team and newsprint and paper manufacturing operations. Profit in the newspaper unit increased 22%. Tribune Co. also reported a slight increase in losses for its broadcasting, entertainment and cable television division, primarily from non-cash expenses in acquiring KTLA. New York Times Co. posted a slightly higher first-quarter profit. The company said operating profit rose 22% for the New York Times and 33 regional newspapers, 50% for its magazine group and 62.5% for its broadcasting and cable television unit. Washington Post Co. reported that net income fell 10% from a year earlier but said revenue for the quarter increased to $276.8 million from $243.6 million last year, including gains of 3.6% in the company’s newspaper division, 7% in its Newsweek magazine unit and 8% in its television stations division. Knight-Ridder said its net income declined 8.1% in the first quarter. The company attributed the profit decline to costs stemming from the $160-million purchase of three television stations in February and a major repurchase of the company’s stock. Knight-Ridder also said the shutdown of its Viewtron service in March lowered first-quarter earnings.