The Washington Post Co. says its fourth-quarter profit more than quadrupled. Its cable TV and education divisions provided most of the lift, although the publishing segment also made money after large cost cuts.

Purchases of U.S. magazines at newsstands and other retail outlets fell 9 percent in the second half of 2009, a slight improvement from the 12 percent year-over-year decline in the first half of the year.

Gannett Co., the largest U.S. newspaper publisher, says it turned a profit in the fourth quarter, helped by a drop in one-time costs and a smaller ad decline.

Profits at Gannett Co. fell 53 percent in the third quarter as the nation’s largest newspaper publisher endured another big decline in ad revenue.

An executive with Google says the company will launch a new platform next year that lets readers buy books that can be accessed from anywhere, be it a personal computer, cell phone or other platform.

The Wall Street Journal is now the top-selling daily newspaper in the United States.

The publisher of Reader’s Digest, the country’s most popular general interest magazine, said Monday it will seek Chapter 11 protection from creditors amid declining circulation, an industrywide advertising slump and large debts.