Standard & Poor’s has put McClatchy on a negative watch. Translated, that means that the company has a ton of debt and is in a business — newspapers — that is not throwing off a ton of cash right now.

Meanwhile, word continues to trickle out of the Uptown paper of record about money worries, possible hiring freezes, and the general discontent that comes with the unknown.

As we’ve said over and over, 2007 in is shaping up as a very interesting year in Charlotte.