ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, July 27, 1996 TAG: 9607290033
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: A_6 EDITION: METRO
NEW YORK - The two top editors at Outdoor Life magazine quit after being overruled on their plans to run an article on bear baiting in the September issue.
Steven W. Byers, the magazine's editor in chief, and Will Bourne, the executive editor, quit Thursday, effective immediately, a spokeswoman for the magazine's owner, Times Mirror Co., confirmed Friday.
The editors had planned to run a story critical of bear baiting, in which raw fish or meat is set out in heavily wooded areas to attract black bears that hunters might not otherwise see. Bear baiting is illegal in some parts of the country.
The New York Times, which reported on the resignations in Friday's issue, said the article was killed after word about it had apparently leaked and hunters' rights groups protested to the magazine.
``It was one of those situations where you either sucked it up and quit, or you don't and are forced to live with yourself and represent something that you think is essentially gutless,'' Bourne told the Times.
But Times Mirror said it had decided against running the article because it failed to meet Outdoor Life's standards for ``balanced and informed coverage of hunting ethics and practices.''
It said that decision against publishing ``was fully supported and encouraged'' by Outdoor Life's hunting editor, Jim Zumbo.
Efforts to reach the editors were unsuccessful. A message was left on Byers' answering machine at the Outdoor Life office and on Bourne's answering machine at his home, but the calls were not immediately returned.
Martha Goldstein, a spokeswoman for Times Mirror, said the decision against publishing was made by Jason Klein, president of Outdoor Life and senior vice president at Times Mirror Magazines.
The article was called ``Failure of the Spirit'' by Tom Beck, who was described by the Times as a Colorado biologist and hunter whom some hunters view as anti-hunter.
Goldstein said no decision had yet been made on replacing Byers and Bourne. ``We are in the process of making those decisions now,'' she said.
Outdoor Life has been published for 98 years and has a circulation of 1.35 million.
- Associated Press
Bankruptcies
Two bankruptcies with business affiliations have been filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for Western Virginia at Roanoke. One of them is a personal bankruptcy that the court listed as a business because it has commercial connections and could be of interest to business creditors and customers.
Spence Cleaning Service Inc. of Roanoke filed for reorganization and protection from creditors. The company estimated assets at less than $50,000 and liabilities at more than $100,000.
Larry Wayne Ketchum of Abingdon, who operates as Larry's Painting & Construction, filed for liquidation with assets of $26,300 and liabilities of $42,103.
- Staff report
Briefly...
SWVA Bancshares Inc., holding company of Southwest Virginia Savings Bank of Roanoke, said Friday it has received approval from the Office of Thrift Supervision to buy back its own common stock. The company expects to purchase as much as 5 percent of its stock, or 27,160 shares, in the open market before Oct. 7. The stock traded this week at between $14.75 and $15.50 a share.
LENGTH: Medium: 70 linesby CNB