PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS

Pension

Single-Employer Plans

We sponsor several frozen single-employer defined benefit pension plans. The Company and The NewsGuild of New York jointly sponsor the Guild-Times Adjustable Pension Plan, which continues to accrue active benefits. Effective January 1, 2018, the Company became the sole sponsor of the frozen Newspaper Guild of New York - The New York Times Pension Plan (the “Guild-Times Plan”). The Guild-Times Plan was previously joint trusteed between the Guild and the Company. Effective December 31, 2018, the Guild-Times Plan and the Retirement Annuity Plan For Craft Employees of The New York Times Companies (the “RAP”) were merged into The New York Times Companies Pension Plan.

The components of net periodic pension cost were as follows:



	For the Quarters Ended
	March 31, 2019								April 1, 2018
(In thousands)	Qualified Plans			Non- Qualified Plans		All Plans			Qualified Plans			Non- Qualified Plans		All Plans
Service cost	$	1,278		$	—	$	1,278		$	2,647		$	—	$	2,647
Interest cost	14,709			2,088		16,797			13,151			1,848		14,999
Expected return on plan assets	(20,258		)	—		(20,258		)	(20,555		)	—		(20,555		)
Amortization of actuarial loss	4,635			1,094		5,729			6,762			1,294		8,056
Amortization of prior service credit	(486		)	—		(486		)	(486		)	—		(486		)
Net periodic pension cost/(income) ⁽¹⁾	$	(122	)	$	3,182	$	3,060		$	1,519		$	3,142	$	4,661

⁽¹⁾The service cost component of net periodic pension cost is recognized in Total operating costs, while the other components are included in Other components of net periodic benefit costs in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations, below Operating profit.

During the first quarters of 2019 and 2018, we made pension contributions of $2.0 million and $2.1 million, respectively, to certain qualified pension plans. We expect contributions in 2019 to total approximately $9 million to satisfy funding requirements.

Other Postretirement Benefits

The components of net periodic postretirement benefit income were as follows:



	For the Quarters Ended
(In thousands)	March 31, 2019			April 1, 2018
Service cost	$	7		$	5
Interest cost	400			369
Amortization of actuarial loss	844			1,184
Amortization of prior service credit	(1,191		)	(1,539		)
Net periodic postretirement benefit cost ⁽¹⁾	$	60		$	19

⁽¹⁾ The service cost component of net periodic pension cost is recognized in Total operating costs, while the other components are included in Other components of net periodic benefit costs in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations, below Operating profit.