Journal Register weighs restructuring: report

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Journal Register Co, a struggling newspaper company, has hired Lazard Freres & Co as an adviser as it weighs a restructuring, The New York Times said in its online edition on Friday, citing executives briefed on the matter.

Analysts have said the company might seek bankruptcy protection, after having taken on hundreds of millions of dollars of debt, the Times said. Other newspaper chains are also struggling as readers and advertisers move to the Web.

In the fourth quarter, Journal Register posted a $148.4 million loss, hurt by a large write-down. Earlier this week, the New York Stock Exchange notified the company that its share price was too low and that it might be delisted.

Journal Register owns 22 daily newspapers and 310 non-daily publications, clustered in six main areas: greater Cleveland, greater Philadelphia, Connecticut, Michigan, and New York's Capital-Saratoga and Mid-Hudson regions. Among its publications is The New Haven Register.

A representative for the Yardley, Pennsylvania-based company had no immediate comment.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel; Editing by Gary Hill)