• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, March 30, 2005

Despite "uneven" advertising performance during the quarter, the New York Times Co. Tuesday said it expected to report "mid-single-digit" growth in advertising sales when it releases its final first-quarter 2005 earnings results on April 14.

The guidance reflected the performance of its flagship papers, The New York Times, which has been experiencing "modest year-over-year improvement," and The Boston Globe, which has ad declines related to the banking and telecommunications categories, stated Leonard Forman, executive vice president and CFO.

"Our larger properties will be adversely affected by the timing of Easter, which fell in March this year but was in April last year. Traditionally, advertising is lighter on holidays such as Easter Sunday," he noted, adding that "our smaller newspapers are seeing growth rates in the mid-single digits, as a result of strong retail and classified advertising, while our digital properties continue to grow rapidly."

Despite tough comparisons with 2004, which had incremental ad spending from political campaigns, as well as the Athens Olympic Games, the Times Co.'s broadcast group also is expected to post a revenue gain for the quarter.

Separately, the company reported gains on the sale of assets during the quarter, including the sale of its existing headquarters on West 43rd Street in New York.

The Times Co. was also among the publishers that resolved long-standing litigation with a group of freelance writers who sued them for copyright infringement for posting their work online without their permission. The Times Co. agreed to pay as much as $18 million, according to a report by Reuters.