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The Washington Post Company announced Monday that it has acquired a majority stake in Celtic Healthcare, an East Coast hospice services firm. The deal, the price of which was not disclosed, comes as the Post Co.'s once-lucrative Kaplan educational unit -- long a buoy for the struggling newspaper arm -- has lost money.  Donald E. Graham, the company's CEO, said the acquisition was "part of the Post Co.'s ongoing strategy of investing in companies with demonstrated earnings potential and strong management teams attracted to our long-term investment horizon." The firm was founded in...

The New York Times and Politico report that the Washington Post Co will sell Newsweek to Dr. Sidney Harman, a 91-year old stereo equipment magnate, philanthropist, and husband of U.S. Rep Jane Harman (D-Calif.). The Nyt reports that Harman began selling FM radios in the 1950s. Now, he'll have to prove that a print newsweekly isn't the equivalent of the phonograph. He'll do it without longtime editor Jon Meacham, who's going to leave. Harman is paying $1, and absorbing Newsweek's "considerable financial liabilities". Newsweek, which has been redesigned as it switched from hard news to trends and analysis, lost nearly $30 million last year alone, and the Washington Post Co has spent a considerable amount of time trying to unload it after almost 50 years. Politico says Donald E. Graham, chairman of The Washington Post Co, personally chose Harman from among several well-heeled bidders because of his centrist politics and because he would provide the most continuity.

Today, the Washington Post Company, which has owned Newsweek since 1961, announced that it will try to sell the struggling magazine ... just like it does every week. According to a press release posted on Newsweek’s Web site, ‘The losses at Newsweek in 2007-2009 are a matter of record. Despite heroic efforts on the part of Newsweek's management and staff, we expect it to still lose money in 2010. We are exploring all options to fix that problem,’ said Donald E. Graham, chairman of The Washington Post Co. ‘Newsweek is a lively, important magazine and website, and in the current climate, it might be a better fit elsewhere.’” Think of all the traffic that Newsweek Web site will get today, though! After the jump, a Shocking Conversation™ with a Newsweek employee. Morale? “Not that bad!” A.N.E. says.