It has been a long time since we had good news from the newspaper industry. But thanks to today’s upbeat figures from Gannett (NYSE:GCI), the industry is surging. Lee Enterprises (NYSE:LEE) has taken the lead.

As traditional print media continues its steep declines in advertising sales and circulation, publishers are struggling to come up with new and creative ways to generate revenue.

Abu Dhabi Buys Daimler Stake; Tata Launches Nano; Walgreen Beats 2Q Estimates; Banks Hurt by Plunging Commercial Property Prices; Gannett Furloughs Workers Again; Oil Nears 3-Month High; TreeHouse Foods Climbs on Private-Label Buying

Consumer Confidence at All-Time Low; Home Prices Continue Collapse; OPEC Still Not Satisfied; Whirlpool Circles the Drain; Optimistic Wall Street; Banks Balk on Buyout; Stop the Presses?

Airline Triple Threat; Oil’s $100 Floor; Wal-Mart’s Thrifty Shoppers; Six Flags on a Thrill Ride; Gannett Printing Pink Slips; GM’s Electric Car On the Way; Estee Lauder Looks Good; Netflix’s Mail Snafu

Wells Fargo Jumps 32% on Dividend Hike; Crude Falls $10 in Two Days; Home Building Collapses; Gazprom Threatens to Take Belarus to Court; Gannett’s 2nd Quarter Tumble; SK Telecom Eyes up Sprint?; Time Warner Travels to Seattle; Delta’s $1 Billion Loss Turns to Gains

The Investment U e-Letter: Issue #783
Monday, April 7, 2008

A Contrarian Strategy: Why Clear Channel Is Today’s Top Stock Pick
by Floyd G. Brown, Advisory Panelist, Investment U

One of the most profitable investments I have made came after a magazine headline hailed the coming bankruptcy of Philip Morris. It took nerves of steel to buy the lowly MO in those days. It was after the largest legal settlement in U.S. history disgorged Morris and other tobacco stocks of profits to pay the healthcare bills of the 50 different United States. Attorney General Janet Reno attacked the company in the newspapers as merchants of death.

But in the eight years since I first bought Philip Morris, at around $19 a share, I have been paid a…