Newspaper Innovation also reported that Mecom plans to sell its free weeklies in the country, “one of the most profitable parts of the Wegener company Mecom acquired in 2007.”

According to Mecom's Web site, its Limburg Media Group “is one of the largest regional newspaper groups in the Netherlands with a leading position in terms of circulation in the Limburg province with a market share of c80 percent.”

The share price of Mecom dropped nearly 50 percent in the beginning of the month, and although the company stated that earning would be “within expectations,” it revealed later that its costs were higher than expected, leading it to want to divest of some operations in the Netherlands, according to Newspaper Innovation.