Alan G. Hardin, Jr. v. The Houston Chronicle Publishing Co., Alan G. Hardin, Jr., Luther E. Allred, Jr. v. Houston Chronicle Publishing Co.

These consolidated cases are two antitrust actions brought by independent newspaper distributors against the Houston Chronicle. In No. 77-1575, plaintiffs challenge the Chronicle’s termination of their distributorship contracts, while in No. 77-2635 they attack the newspaper’s change in its distribution system. In both cases the district court denied plaintiffs’ applications for preliminary injunctions, 1 and this appeal followed. 28 U.S.C. § 1292(a)(1).

This court’s review of a district court’s grant or denial of a preliminary injunction is extremely narrow in scope. Such a grant or denial…