Baltimore Jewish Times

Charles A. Buerger, who transformed the Baltimore Jewish Times from an unambitious community newsletter into a publication that many consider the premier Jewish newspaper in America, died yesterday at Johns Hopkins Hospital after heart surgery. He was 58.Mr. Buerger, unpretentious and soft-spoken, yet hard-driving, had a keen eye for talent and a penchant for spending money to make money.Having established the prominence of the Baltimore Jewish Times in the 1980s, he began to widen his interests in the 1990s.

A federal bankruptcy judge has granted a month-long extension to Alter Communications, which publishes the Baltimore Jewish Times and Style Magazine, and creditor H.G. Roebuck & Sons, to "negotiate their differences and file a joint plan of reorganization," according to a court order filed Wednesday. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge James F. Schneider previously ordered the entities to develop and present a plan by Oct. 21 to remove Alter from Chapter 11 proceedings, or said he would appoint a trustee to run the business.

Creditors have filed two objections to the procedures proposed for the sale of Alter Communications Inc., the bankrupt publisher of the Baltimore Jewish Times and Style Magazine. On Wednesday, H.G. Roebuck & Son Inc., a printing company owed money by the publishing house, said that the plan to auction Alter's assets as a single entity will "chill" bids. Instead, Roebuck argues, the company's parts should be offered separately. Lauren Buerger, a stockholder in Alter who is also owed money by the company, filed an objection Thursday that said the proposed auction date is too soon.

A bankruptcy court judge could decide as early as this week if the Baltimore Jewish Times will remain solely in the hands of its publisher of 92 years or be pressed into a partnership with its former printer, which it blames for much of its financial trouble. With a circulation of 8,500 and a larger audience online, the publication remains widely read in Baltimore's Jewish community, which is watching the contested bankruptcy closely. Alter Communications, which publishes the Jewish Times and several other publications, is fighting to hang onto the company through bankruptcy protection.

ON THE SITE... Baltimore Jewish Times owner sold at bankruptcy : Washington Jewish Week bought Alter Communications, which has owned the weekly Jewish Times magazine for 93 years, for $1.26 million. Maryland's Mega Millions winner remains unknown : Media were staking out the Maryland Lottery headquarters Monday morning awaiting the person who bought a winning ticket in Baltimore County, but lottery officials said they don't expect anyone to show yet. Three shot in city on Sunday : Police are investigating the incidents, one of them fatal, while police also shot and killed a man during a struggle in Reservoir Hill on Saturday.  March 2012 ranks as third-warmest on record : The average daily low in Baltimore last month nearly matched the average temperature for the month as a whole.

Maurice R. Shochatt, 80, a journalist and public relations man with a voice in many Baltimore causes, died early today from complications of cerebral palsy and diabetes at the Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital in Baltimore.Born in Ukraine, Mr. Shochatt came to America as a child and settled in Baltimore with his parents, the late Sholom and Shiffa Shochatt. He graduated from Baltimore City College in 1929, and served for many years thereafter as secretary and booster for his class.

A vote among creditors that could help decide the future of the Baltimore Jewish Times ends on Friday, concluding the latest chapter in a contentious bankruptcy proceeding for the nearly century-old, family-owned publisher. The result of the vote, which is to be tallied in coming weeks, will help guide a bankruptcy court judge, who later this month will decide whether Alter Communications, which has published the weekly newspaper since 1919, will remain family-owned and operated, or whether the firm will be turned over to its printer.

Pending the approval of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, the publisher of the Baltimore Jewish Times and Style Magazine could be sold at auction next week. Zvi Guttman, the trustee in the case, asked the court Wednesday to approve a sale schedule, which calls for all bids for Alter Communications Inc. to be submitted to him by Tuesday afternoon and for the sale to be conducted on the morning of Wednesday, March 28. Objections to the proposed schedule are to be filed with the court by 10 a.m. Thursday.

The prospective new owners of the Baltimore Jewish Times took over Washington Jewish Week nearly two years ago and made an array of changes to the publication, which had just turned 80 years old. They redesigned the tabloid, revamped the website and launched an email newsletter. It's not yet clear if they contemplate similar changes to the Jewish Times, a weekly that has come out every Friday for 93 years. Craig Burke, the publisher of Washington Jewish Week, said he cannot discuss specific plans until he learns more about the Baltimore company, Alter Communications Inc., which also publishes Style magazine.

Five investor groups or companies, including The Baltimore Sun's publisher, have either expressed interest in or submitted bids for the owner of the Baltimore Jewish Times and Style Magazine, according to the general manager of Alter Communications Inc., which is now up for sale under a bankruptcy trustee. Alter filed for Chapter 11 reorganization two years ago, and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court last week appointed a trustee, who said the court could select a buyer next week. Linda Yurche, Alter's general manager, said that Timothy J. Thomas, senior vice president of business development for the Baltimore Sun Media Group, was among several parties that have reviewed Alter's financial records.