SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934 (Amendment No. ____)
Filed by the Registrants [X]
Filed by a Party other than the Registrants [ ]
Check the appropriate box:
[ ] Preliminary Proxy Statement
[ ] Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by
Rule 14a-6(e)(2))
[ ] Definitive Proxy Statement
[ ] Definitive Additional Materials
[X] Soliciting Material Pursuant to ss.240.14a-12
JOURNAL COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
JOURNAL EMPLOYEES' STOCK TRUST
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(Name of Registrants as Specified in their respective Charters)
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement if other than the Registrant)
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[Journal Communications Letterhead]
April 6, 2001
Dear Colleague,
As you know by now, employee-owners will be asked to vote on four amendments to
the Journal Employees' Stock Trust Agreement (JESTA) as a part of this year's
proxy process.
It is extremely important that everyone who is eligible participates. Two-thirds
of the units owned by active employees need to be voted "for," or in favor of,
the amendments. A vote to abstain is effectively a vote "against" the
amendments. The failure to vote at all also counts as a vote against the
amendments.
We need your help in ensuring that all employee-owners thoroughly understand the
amendments as well as the importance of their votes. (Each employee-owner votes
the number of units he or she owns. It's not simply one vote per person.) Either
Journal Communications President, Doug Kiel, or I will visit your location soon
to review the proxy process and discuss the amendments with employee-owners.
Please distribute the enclosed invitations to the employee-owners in your
department and encourage them to attend the meeting.
You need not worry about preparing anything for the meeting or distributing
other information to employee-owners, except as we might request. In fact,
because securities regulations apply to the proxy process, there are limits on
what we can say or distribute in writing.
I'm counting on you to help inform employee-owners in your group about these
very important meetings. Thank you in advance for encouraging all of your
employees to participate.
Sincerely,
/s/ Steven J. Smith
Steven J. Smith
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We urge you to read the proxy statement that the Journal Employees' Stock Trust
will file with the SEC regarding a meeting of unitholders to consider JESTA
amendments when available, because it will contain important information. You
may obtain a free copy of the proxy statement (when available) at the SEC's
Internet Web site at www.sec.gov or by sending a written request to Paul E.
Kritzer, the Secretary of Journal Communications, at our headquarters or by
emailing him at pkritzer@jc.com. Detailed information regarding the identity and
interests of individuals who may be deemed participants in the solicitation of
proxies for the meeting is available in the Soliciting Materials on Schedule 14A
that we filed with the SEC on April 6, 2001, which can be obtained free of
charge on the SEC's Internet Web Site.
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Journal Communications
Proxy 2001
The Meeting for Employee-Owners
Stock Plan
As an employee-owner of Journal Communications,
your share you're invited to meet with Chairman & CEO Steve
of the future Smith to discuss this year's proxy process.
The meetings will be held on:
(Date) at (Time) in (Place).
Please plan to attend this important meeting and
bring your questions regarding this year's proxy
process.
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We urge you to read the proxy statement that the Journal Employees' Stock Trust
will file with the SEC regarding a meeting of unitholders to consider JESTA
amendments when available, because it will contain important information. You
may obtain a free copy of the proxy statement (when available) at the SEC's
Internet Web site at www.sec.gov or by sending a written request to Paul E.
Kritzer, the Secretary of Journal Communications, at our headquarters or by
emailing him at pkritzer@jc.com. Detailed information regarding the identity and
interests of individuals who may be deemed participants in the solicitation of
proxies for the meeting is available in the Soliciting Materials on Schedule 14A
that we filed with the SEC on April 6, 2001, which can be obtained free of
charge on the SEC's Internet Web Site.
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