Across the U.S. today, various publications are relaying to their readers some pressing news: they’ve been sold.

Morris Publishing Group, a part of Morris Communications Co., has been purchased by New York-based New Media Investment Group. This means that the Savannah Morning News, the Topeka Capitol-Journal and others will soon be added to subsidiary GateHouse Media’s already extensive portfolio of daily newspapers.

Three of the dailies in the Morris deal are located in Georgia, while another pair publish out of Alaska. The latter group is comprised of the Juneau Empire and the Peninsula Clarion.

The transaction is set to be finalized by Oct. 2. All told, when weeklies like Alaska’s Horner News and other properties are added, New Media Investment Group is acquiring 79 different outlets and assets from Morris.

The newspapers fall in line with a most interesting corporate strategy. From the New Media Investment Group website:

Eight-five percent of our daily newspapers have been published for more than 100 years and 100% have been published for more than 50 years. Our strategy is to acquire and operate traditional local media businesses and transform them from print-centric operations to dynamic multi-media operations, through our existing online advertising and digital marketing businesses.

Also part of the deal, a newspaper founded in 1879 with one of the greatest names of all: the Log Cabin Democrat, located in Conway, Ark. And for those who, like us, pay attention to such matters, plenty more hyphens on the daily side to go along with the Topeka newspaper: the Florida Times-Union, the Athens Banner-Herald, the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal and the Amarillo Globe-News.

Image via: newseum.org</s>Morris Communications will sell its 11 daily newspapers and other publications in those markets to New Media Investment Group, the parent company of GateHouse Media Inc., the companies announced Wednesday.

New Media said in a news release it will pay $120 million to purchase Morris Publishing Group, the newspaper division of Georgia-based Morris Communications.

The sale includes The Augusta Chronicle, The Savannah Morning News and The Athens Banner-Herald in Georgia; The Florida Times-Union of Jacksonville and The St. Augustine Record in Florida; the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal and Amarillo Globe News in Texas; the Topeka Capital-Journal in Kansas; the Log Cabin Democrat of Conway, Arkansas; and the Juneau Empire and Peninsula Clarion of Kenai in Alaska.

Family-owned Morris Communications has operated newspapers for more than 70 years. William S. Morris Jr., hired as a bookkeeper at The Augusta Chronicle in 1929, bought a controlling interest in the newspaper with his wife and a friend in 1945. The couple's son, William S. Morris III, joined the company in 1956 and remains chairman of Morris Communications.

"Since 1929, the Morris family has had a great love and passion for journalism and the local communities that they serve," Morris said in a statement. "However, every newspaper company in America is battling trends and redirected advertising dollars, so it is necessary for newspapers to be part of a large newspaper group to build and maintain the necessary resources to compete."

The deal allows Morris to remain as publisher of The Augusta Chronicle. He will also oversee editorial-page policies at the three Georgia newspapers. Morris Communications will still publish magazines, sell broadband services and operate other business ventures. The company said the sale, which includes its commercial printing operation in Lubbock, Texas, should be finalized in October.

GateHouse Media owns more than 130 daily newspapers and other publications in 36 U.S. states.

"For over 80 years, the Morris family has built and operated an incredible collection of local media assets," Michael E. Reed, New Media's president and CEO, said in a statement. "We are honored that the family has chosen us to uphold the rich tradition of journalism and innovation they have established. This transaction will expand our footprint into new states and add some very attractive markets to our local media portfolio."</s>Staff at the Juneau Empire and two other Alaska newspapers learned Wednesday morning they are among 11 media properties sold to GateHouse Media for $120 million.

Morris Communications of Augusta, Georgia, has owned the Empire since 1969.

GateHouse Media is a division of New Media Investment Group, a publicly traded company, and owns more than 130 mostly small and mid-sized newspapers.

Media analyst Rick Edmonds of the Poynter Institute says New Media also backed is by a private equity group that’s driven a strategy of aggressive expansion that’s buoyed its stock price.

“It’s fair to say that they run very tight in an expense way but a lot of the savings come from not necessarily clearing out the newsroom, although there always can be some losses in the reporting ranks, but from doing things in a centralized way,” Edmonds said Wednesday. “For instance, they have a very large copy editing, production and layout center in Austin, Texas, that does all their papers.”

Also included in the deal are the Peninsula Clarion in Kenai and the weekly Homer News.

“Right now, we’re on deadline and trying to get the paper out so that’s the immediate concern,” Homer News editor Michael Armstrong said Wednesday morning. “I think we’re just waiting to see what happens. I’m reassured that (Publisher) Deedie (McKenzie) will remain my boss and she’s been real supportive of what we’re doing.”

McKenzie, based in Kenai, will remain publisher of the Juneau Empire and Peninsula Clarion.

The Morris family hasn’t sold all of its assets in Alaska.

It’s keeping the Juneau Empire building off Egan Drive as well as its magazine division, which includes the Alaska Journal of Commerce, Alaska Equipment Trader and the Chugiak-Eagle River Star.</s>The Juneau Empire, Peninsula Clarion in Kenai and weekly Homer News are among 11 papers being sold by Morris Communications to GateHouse Media for a reported $120 million.

Newsrooms learned about the sale of their papers to GateHouse Media early Wednesday morning. The upstate New York-based chain is one of the fastest growing media companies in the country.

“I got an email from corporate, from Morris announcing it. And they referred us, they referred me to a press release on the Morris website,” Homer News editor Michael Armstrong said. Armstrong has been with the newspaper since 1999. “The GateHouse people are visiting the Morris properties today and tomorrow and they’ll come down to Kenai and Homer and we’ll find out more from them.”

The Juneau Empire has been owned by the Georgia-based Morris family since 1969. They also bought the Peninsula Clarion in 1990.

“The sale will actually be final Oct. 2 and after that we’ll know a lot more, so for now it’s really business as usual,” publisher Deedie McKenzie said.

The Kenai-based executive said she’s been told she’ll be kept on by the new company and that the Morris family had been looking at selling the newspapers for about a year.

“GateHouse was a really good fit and it’s a great opportunity for these newspapers to also become part of a larger newspaper company,” McKenzie said. “They’re in 36 states, so it’s a great opportunity for us.”

The off-loading of 11 newspapers by the family-owned Morris chain is part of an industry-wide trend.

“I think we’re in a period of quite a lot of consolidation,” media analyst Rick Edmonds of the Poynter Institute said. “Even the language of the press release sort of follows the story line that’s been developing, which is that it’s harder and harder for either individual papers or smaller chains to stay competitive.”

GateHouse now owns more than 130 newspapers in mostly small- and mid-sized markets, more than any other chain and finds ways to consolidate its holdings for efficiency.

“They have a very large copy editing and layout center in Austin, Texas, that does all of their papers,” Edmonds said.

The company emerged from a $1.2 billion bankruptcy in 2013 and has since been recapitalized by a private equity firm. Since then, it’s expanded rapidly into the nation’s second-largest newspaper chain, after Gannett. Its parent company is a publicly traded company called New Media Investment, which is backed by a private equity fund.

The arrangement is unorthodox: Fortress Investment Group controls less than 1 percent of company stock but wields an enormous amount of control.

“The bigger the company gets, the more money the external manager Fortress collects,” Jeff Gordon said. Gordon is a sports columnist with the Post-Dispatch in St. Louis. He’s also president of the United Media Guild, which represents unionized workers at 18 GateHouse papers. He’s critical of how a financial entity is rearranging small media companies.

“Basically, Fortress Investment Group operates as the external manager so it gets millions of dollars in revenue from quote-unquote managing this company and basically arranging for financing and backing purchases,” Gordon said.

The Morris family will retain some holdings in Alaska. It’s not selling the Juneau Empire’s building or the Alaska Journal of Commerce, Alaska Equipment Trader and the weekly Chugiak-Eagle River Star.

KBBI’s Aaron Bolton in Homer contributed to this report.</s>Morris, based in Augusta, Georgia, said the sale is a “strategic restructuring” to focus its business on lifestyle publications.

Morris Communications Co. announced today that Amarillo’s only print newspaper has been sold to GateHouse Media.

The sale is expected to be finalized on October 2. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

Newspapers in the sale include The Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville), The St. Augustine (Florida) Record, The Savannah (Georgia) Morning News, The Augusta (Georgia) Chronicle, The Athens (Georgia) Banner-Herald, the Lubbock (Texas) Avalanche-Journal, the Amarillo (Texas) Globe-News, the Topeka (Kansas) Capital-Journal, the Log Cabin Democrat (Conway, Arkansas), the Juneau (Alaska) Empire, the Peninsula Clarion (Kenai, Alaska), and the Homer (Alaska) News.

Bernados, an 18-year veteran of the media industry, spent the last ten years with Morris Communications in key advertising and revenue roles. However, GateHouse is a dynamic company that understands community journalism and helping businesses prosper and grow through innovative solutions.

According to the Globe-News website, Les Simpson will remain as publisher of the Globe-News. The Morris family purchased the Amarillo Daily News and Amarillo Globe-Times from the Whittenburg family in 1972.

The Morris family will retain ownership of the Amarillo Globe-News building and property in downtown Amarillo, and the family is now exploring redevelopment options for their facilities. The two newspapers merged in April 2001 to form the Amarillo Globe-News.

Tony Bernados, president and publisher of the Record said, “We will continue to develop products and services that enrich the community we have served for almost 125-years backed by the power and technology of Gatehouse Media, a large national media company”.

GateHouse Media, the soon to be new owners of these 11 newspapers, owns over one hundred other daily papers.</s>AUGUSTA, Ga. — Morris Communications is selling its 11 daily newspapers and other publications in those markets to New Media Investment Group, the parent company of GateHouse Media Inc.

New Media said Wednesday it purchased Morris Publishing Group, the newspaper division of Georgia-based Morris Communications, for $120 million.

The sale includes The Augusta Chronicle, The Savannah Morning News and The Athens Banner-Herald in Georgia and daily newspapers in Florida, Texas, Kansas and Alaska. A news release said it should be finalized in October.

GateHouse Media owns more than 130 daily newspapers and other publications in 36 U.S. states.

William S. Morris III, chairman of Morris Communications, will remain publisher of The Augusta Chronicle. Morris Communications, a family-owned media company, will still publish magazines, sell broadband services and operate other business ventures.</s>AUGUSTA, Ga – As part of a strategic restructuring to focus its business on lifestyle publications, property development and new business, Morris Communications Co. announced today that it has signed an agreement to sell the assets of Morris Publishing Group, including The Florida Times-Union, to GateHouse Media.

The sale includes 10 other daily newspapers, numerous non-daily publications and associated websites and digital assets. The transaction is expected to close on October 2, 2017. Terms were not disclosed.

“We all will miss the Morris family and its steady oversight of our business for more than three decades, and its commitment to quality journalism,” said Mark Nusbaum, president of The Times-Union.

“At the same time, we look forward to working with our new ownership at GateHouse, and assure our readers we will continue to provide thorough and comprehensive coverage of our community going forward.”

“Since my father took a job as bookkeeper at The Chronicle in 1929, our family has been dedicated to journalism, and to the readers and advertisers in the communities we serve,” said William S. “Billy” Morris III, chairman of Morris Communications. “Although this has been a difficult decision for me, we have found a wonderful buyer for the newspapers in GateHouse, as they are strongly committed to providing good community coverage for readers and effective solutions for advertisers.”

Under terms of the sale, Nusbaum will continue in his role as publisher of The Times-Union. Billy Morris will continue as publisher of The Augusta Chronicle and will oversee editorial-page policy for the three Morris newspapers in Georgia. The Morris family will retain ownership of The Florida Times-Union building and property consisting of 18 acres of waterfront property in downtown Jacksonville along the St. Johns River. The family is currently exploring options for development of the site for mixed use, including offices, a hotel or multifamily housing.

GateHouse Media is a division of New Media Investment Group, a publicly traded company (NEWM) on the New York Stock Exchange. It is one of the largest newspaper companies in the country, owning more than 130 daily newspapers and more than 500 non-daily publications across the United States.

“GateHouse is very excited to welcome the Morris publications and their employees into our company,” said Michael E. Reed, New Media president and CEO. “For more than 80 years, the Morris family has built and operated an incredible collection of local media assets. We are honored that the family has chosen us to uphold the rich tradition of journalism and innovation they have established. This transaction will expand our footprint into new states and add some very attractive markets to our local media portfolio. We see strong synergies between our two companies and look forward to the value creation opportunity that will exist as we combine the portfolios.”

“Every newspaper company in America is battling trends and redirected advertising dollars, so it is necessary for newspapers to be part of a large newspaper group to build and maintain the necessary resources to compete,” said Morris. “We are deeply grateful for the many friendships and business relationships we have enjoyed for these many years and look forward to the impact the next generation will make.”

William S. (Will) Morris IV, president and CEO of Morris Communications, said, “Although the decision to leave the newspaper business was a tough one for our family, we are enthusiastic about our plans to diversify our business holdings with print and digital communications and real estate development. We have a solid team in place to take the business in a prosperous new direction.”

Daily papers included in the sale, in addition to The Florida Times-Union, are The Topeka (Kansas) Capital-Journal, The Augusta Chronicle, the Savannah Morning News, the Athens Banner-Herald, The St. Augustine Record, the Amarillo Globe-News and Lubbock Avalanche-Journal in Texas, the Conway (Ark.) Log Cabin Democrat, and the Juneau Empire and Kenai Peninsula Clarion in Alaska.

Derek May, currently president of Morris Publishing Group, will take a new leadership role as chief operating officer of Morris Communications.

“I’ve considered it a blessing to be around such talented individuals who work for our company,” said May. “These are great people, passionate about what they do, and committed to their communities.”

“We are enthusiastic about our current and future business ventures,” Will Morris said. “With this sale, we will pursue a range of new possibilities. We intend to keep making a difference in the world, as we have for more than 80 years.”

Read the story on the Florida Times-Union.</s>TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) – As part of a strategic restructuring to focus its business on lifestyle publications, property development and new business, Morris Communications Co. announced Wednesday that it has signed an agreement to sell the properties of Morris Publishing Group, including The Topeka Capital-Journal.

According to The Topeka Capital-Journal, the sale includes 10 other daily newspapers, numerous non-daily publications and associated websites and digital assets. The transaction is expected to close on October 2, 2017. Terms were not disclosed.

President and Publisher of The Topeka Capital-Journal Zach Ahrens said he appreciates GateHouse Media’s innovative digital marketing solutions and client-centric focus. Ahrens will continue as publisher of the Capital-Journal.

“Although this has been a difficult decision for me, we have found a wonderful buyer for the newspapers in GateHouse,” said Chairman of Morris Communications William S. Morris III. “As they are strongly committed to providing good community coverage for readers and effective solutions for advertisers.”

Daily papers included in the sale, in addition to The Topeka Capital-Journal, are The Augusta Chronicle, the Savannah Morning News, the Athens Banner-Herald, The Florida Times-Union and The St. Augustine Record in Florida, the Amarillo Globe-News and Lubbock Avalanche-Journal in Texas, Conway (Ark.) Log Cabin Democrat, and the Juneau Empire and Kenai Peninsula Clarion in Alaska.

Derek May, currently president of Morris Publishing Group, will take a new leadership role as chief operating officer of Morris Communications.</s>The Log Cabin Democrat in Conway has been sold to GateHouse Media as part of a deal that includes several other newspapers around the country, its current owner Morris Communications announced Wednesday.

Terms of the deal, which also include the sale of the The Florida Times-Union, a commercial printing operation in Texas and other publications, were not released. It's expected to be finalized in October.

“Since 1929, the Morris family has had a great love and passion for journalism and the local communities that they serve," William S. “Billy” Morris III, chairman of Morris Communications, said in a statement. "However, every newspaper company in America is battling trends and redirected advertising dollars, so it is necessary for newspapers to be part of a large newspaper group to build and maintain the necessary resources to compete."

GateHouse, which already owns five daily and more than a dozen weekly newspapers in Arkansas, last month closed its Little Rock bureau and laid off the only reporter who staffed it.

In May, the company consolidated seven weekly newspapers in central Arkansas into two weekly newspapers serving Pulaski and Lonoke counties.

In a story posted on the Log Cabin's website, Cynthia Crabb, group controller for the Conway newspaper, said it would "retain its mission to be Faulkner County’s news, advertising and information source since 1879."

“We are excited about the new available resources and opportunities with GateHouse Media and anticipate a new synergy to emerge with the existing GateHouse properties across the state," she said.

William S. Morris IV, president and CEO of Morris Communications, called GateHouse a "wonderful buyer" and said the company is "strongly committed to providing good community coverage for readers and effective solutions for advertisers."</s>Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

New Media Investment Group has acquired Morris Publishing Group, whose portfolio includes the Augusta Chronicle, the Savannah Morning News and the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville.

The price was $120 million for 11 daily newspapers, 30 weeklies and various online assets, which will join New Media's GateHouse chain.

The transaction, announced this morning, is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year.

The deal represents further consolidation of the struggling industry. GateHouse, with more than 120 dailies, offers scale with a centralized editing and production center in Austin and a group of system-wide advertising and marketing products.

Morris is family-owned and based in Augusta. William S. "Billy" Morris will remain publisher of the Chronicle and will oversee editorial policy for the three Morris papers in Georgia.

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News Media Investment is publicly traded but also has the backing of the huge Fortress Investment Group fund. It has been on a run of acquisitions over the last several years, buying the Columbus Dispatch, and Fayetteville Observer among other properties.

It has promised to spend $1 billion on acquisitions and with the latest deal is almost there -- at roughly $900 million. An early acquisition was Halifax Media which included what once were the New York Times Regional Group papers.

"For over 80 years, the Morris family has built and operated an incredible collection of local media assets. We are honored that the family has chosen us to uphold the rich tradition of journalism and innovation they have established. This transaction will expand our footprint into new states and add some very attractive markets to our local media portfolio. We see strong synergies between our two companies and look forward to the value creation opportunity that will exist as we combine the portfolios.”

Morris said that he sold after reluctantly concluding that the group was too small "to build and maintain the necessary resources to compete."

Other Morris papers sold were the Athens Banner Herald, the Amarillo Globe-News, the Juneau Empire and The Peninsula Clarion in Alaska, the Log Cabin Democrat in Conway, Arkansas, the Lubbock Avalanche Journal, The St. Augustine Record and The Topeka Capital-Journal.

Wall Street reacted favorably to the transaction. New Media shares were up more than 4 percent in late morning trading.
New York State-based GateHouse Media announces an agreement to buy 11 U.S. newspapers from Georgia-based Morris Communications. Included in the deal is the Log Cabin Democrat, founded in 1879, and three Alaskan newspapers: the Juneau Empire, the Peninsula Clarion and Homer News. The deal is expected to close on October 2.