On September 22, 1977, the "Enquirer" signed a joint operating agreement (JOA) with "The Cincinnati Post". For two years, the "Enquirer" had secretly negotiated the terms of the JOA with the "Post" while securing concessions from labor unions. The two papers petitioned the Justice Department for an antitrust exemption under the Newspaper Preservation Act of 1970. This was the second JOA application under the Newspaper Preservation Act; the first, involving the "Anchorage Daily News" and "Anchorage Times", was summarily approved but already seen as a failure.