A source inside Donrey Media Group says the 28 papers the company is selling to a Birmingham, Ala., publisher make up less than 10 percent of the Fort Smith-based company’s total newspaper revenue.
Donrey announced July 3 the sale of the newspapers to Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. of Birmingham. The sale is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close by Sept. 1. Donrey did not reveal the purchase prices, and officials would not comment beyond a news release announcing the same.
But an inside source says the revenue from the papers, all with circulations of less than 10,000, total about 8 percent of the entire newspaper group. The newspapers are in Oklahoma, Texas, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and New Mexico. The company retains all five papers it owns in Arkansas, plus 16 others, mostly on the West Coast.
“We are particularly committed to the northwest Arkansas market and look forward to continued growth of The Morning News of Northwest Arkansas, the largest newspaper in Washington and Benton counties,” Donrey President Emmett Jones told The Morning News. “Additionally, we will continue to provide the best local newspapers in Fort Smith, Pine Bluff, Arkadelphia and Booneville.”
Donrey is the second significant newspaper chain to dump a group of its smaller papers in the past year. Chicago-based Hollinger Inc., which owns American Publishing Co., unloaded more than 100 smaller dailies and weeklies around the country – including some in east Arkansas – in paring its holdings by about a third.
Jones cited “historic shifts” in the newspaper industry for the sale. “We have decided to concentrate our resources and management efforts on those companies remaining in the Donrey Media Group.”
The newspapers being sold are:
• In Oklahoma: Altus Times, Blackwell Journal-Tribune, Chickasha Daily Express, Claremore Daily Progress, Durant Daily Democrat, Frederick Leader, Guymon Daily Herald, Henryetta Daily Free-Lance, Norman Transcript, Okmulgee Daily Times, Pauls Valley Daily Democrat.
• In Texas: Athens Daily Review; Borger News-Herald; Cedar Creek Pilot, Gun Barrel City; Times-Review, Cleburne; Gainesville Daily Register; Jacksonville Daily Progress; Kilgore News Herald; Sweetwater Report; Weatherford Democrat.
• In Indiana: Washington Times-Herald.
• In Iowa: Clinton Herald, Oskaloosa Herald.
• In Kentucky: Glasgow Daily Times.
• In Mississippi: Picayune Item, The Poplarville Democrat.
• In Missouri: Moberly Monitor-Index.
• In New Mexico: Alamogordo Daily News.
Community Newspaper Holdings is a 1-year-old firm led by Ralph Martin, a former Thomson Newspapers Corp. executive. Community now has 124 community newspapers in 20 states.
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