Form 5 Page 1 of 2 ---------------------------- ------ OMB APPROVAL FORM 5 ---------------------------- ------ OMB Number: 3235-0362 ---------------------------- Expires: January 31, 2005 [ ] Check box if no longer subject to ---------------------------- Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations Estimated average burden may continue. See Instruction 1(b). hours per response.....1.0 ---------------------------- [ ] Form 3 Holdings Reported [ ] Form 4 Transactions Reported UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 ANNUAL STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Section 17(a) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Name and Address of Reporting Person* 2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol Ross, Jr. Wilbur L. News Communications, Inc. (NCOM) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Last) (First) (Middle) 3. I.R.S. Identification 4. Statement for Number of Reporting Month/Year Person, if an entity 101 East 52nd Street, 19th Floor (Voluntary) December 2002 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------- (Street) 5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Year) New York New York 10022 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (City) (State) (Zip) --------------------------------------------------------------- 6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable) X Director 10% Owner -------- ------- Officer (give Other (specify -------- title below) ------- below) --------------------------------------------------------------- 7. Individual or Joint/Group Reporting (check applicable line) X Form Filed by One Reporting Person ---- Form Filed by More than One Reporting Person ---- --------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Title of Security 2. Trans- 3. Trans- 4. Securities Acquired (A) (Instr. 3) action action or Disposed of (D) Date Code (Instr. 3, 4 and 5) (Month/ (Instr. 8) Day/ --------------------------------------- Year) Amount (A) or Price (D) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 5. Amount of 6. Ownership 7. Nature of Securities Form: Direct (D) Indirect Beneficially or Indirect (I) Beneficial Owned at the (Instr. 4) Ownership end of Issuer's (Instr. 4) Fiscal Year (Instr. 3 and 4) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ *If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see instruction 4(b)(v). Form 5 Page 2 of 2 Table II - Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Title of Derivative 2. Conver- 3. Trans- 4. Transac- 5. Number of 6. Date Exercisable Security sion or action tion Code Derivative and Expiration Date (Instr. 3) Exercise Date (Instr. 8) Securities (Month/Day/Year) Price of (Month/ Acquired (A) Derivative Day/ or Disposed of Security Year) (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5) ------------------------------------------- (A) (D) Date Expi- Exercis- ration able Date -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Director Stock Option (right to buy) $0.79 8/17/02 A 3,333 8/17/02 8/17/07 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7. Title and Amount of 8. Price of 9. Number of 10. Ownership 11. Nature Underlying Securities Derivative Derivative of Derivative of Indirect (Instr. 3 and 4) Security Securities Security: Beneficial (Instr. 5) Beneficially Direct (D) Ownership Owned at or Indirect (Instr. 4) End of (I) Year (Instr. 4) (Instr. 4) ------------------------ Title Amount or Number of Shares ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- common stock 3,333 43,333 D ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Explanation of Responses: /s/ Wilbur L. Ross, Jr. 02/14/03 -------------------------------- ----------------- ** Signature of Reporting Person Date Wilbur L. Ross, Jr. **Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations. See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a). Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed. If space provided is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedure.