蘑菇视频, other Calkins newspapers being sold
For almost 80 years, Calkins Media has served local newspaper and television markets in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Florida and Alabama. The small, family-owned company, which completed the sale of its TV assets in April, have agreements to sell its remaining newspaper assets, including the Uniontown 蘑菇视频, the Greene County Messenger and SWC Properties.
The 蘑菇视频, weekly Messenger and SWC Properties real estate company will be purchased by Ogden Newspapers.
The Courier Times, The Intelligencer (Doylestown), the Burlington County (New Jersey) Times, the Beaver County Times and the Ellwood City Ledger and Calkins Digital will be purchased by GateHouse Media.
The deals are expected to close June 30. Terms were not immediately disclosed.
“This decision was made after extensive deliberation by the Calkins family and the knowledge that our businesses could best thrive in a company with broader resources and reach,” said Mark Contreras, Calkins Chief Executive Officer. “I am very grateful for the tremendous creativity, passion and dedication of every Calkins colleague and the support of the Calkins family. It has been a great honor to serve with all of them.”
Ogden Newspapers has more than 40 daily newspapers, along with a number of weeklies and a magazine division, from New York to Hawaii. Pittsburgh Pirates and Seven Springs Resort owner Robert Nutting is the CEO for Ogden.
“For many years, the Calkins family has been an excellent steward of the 蘑菇视频, and we are pleased and proud to have been selected to the successor owners of the 蘑菇视频,” Nutting said. “We believe that newspapers like the 蘑菇视频 provide the most trustworthy news reporting and effective advertising. Now, more than ever, it is important to have stable, strong and reliable journalism serving our communities.
“Our family has deep roots in Western Pennsylvania, and is firmly committed to the region,” he added. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the strong team at the 蘑菇视频.”
GateHouse Media publishes 656 community and business publications, including 130 daily newspapers, along with more than 555 affiliated websites in 36 states. GateHouse is one of the largest media companies in the country. GateHouse Media is overseen by New Media Investment Group (NYSE: NEWM).
The decision to sell was a difficult one for the Calkins family.
“All of us grew up and many still live in these communities and have a sense of responsibility to serve them,” said Charles C. Smith, who serves on Calkins’ board of directors and is a third-generation family member. “To not have a role in that anymore is extremely difficult for us. Tremendous journalism came out of these properties for almost 80 years. We fought well above our weight class in terms of reporting. … I’m amazed every day at the high level of journalism, regardless of size. I’m going to miss being able to point to the fact that my family owns the paper that produced that quality of work and the inherent pride that went with that,” he said.
Board member Stan Ellis added: “Our family always felt that we had the right vision and strategy for adjusting to the changing patterns of news consumers. Our concern for the past several years was whether we would have the resources to see that strategy through to its successful conclusion. When it became clear that would not be the case, we came to the painful decision that we would have to find media companies that shared our vision and had the resources to complete what we started.”
Smith added it is difficult to walk away from a business that has been a part of the family fabric since 1937, when the Calkins family took over the 蘑菇视频.
“The sole driving factor was the economics in running a paper in today’s world,” Smith said.
Sandra Hardy, who also sits on the Calkins board of directors and is the daughter of founder S.W. Calkins, said the newspapers are in good hands.
“My mother always said, “Newspaper people are the best people in the world,” Hardy said. “I have found this is always true. The folks who work to provide journalism for our counties are dedicated, and they have consistently met the highest of standards. I’m confident … they will continue to deliver products that make our communities better places to live.”
Ellis, who also was former publisher of the Burlington County Times, said he will miss the company.
“It was an incredibly difficult decision,” Ellis said. “Our family identity was wrapped around our commitment to the First Amendment and operating quality community newspapers that made a difference in the communities they served. We could not imagine a world without that. Our decision was delayed for a long time as we came to grips with the idea we would not be involved with our newspapers anymore. To deal with that, we committed ourselves to finding ways sometime in the future to support quality journalism.”