OLD Media Moves

Local Dow Jones papers are for sale

April 3, 2013

Posted by Chris Roush

News Corp. is seeking to sell its Dow Jones community newspapers, reports Keach Hagey of The Wall Street Journal.

Hagey writes, “Founded by James H. Ottaway Sr. in 1936, the community-papers group today includes eight general-interest daily newspapers and their related websites in California, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon and Pennsylvania. In fiscal 2012, their average daily circulation was more than 188,000 and Sunday circulation was over 238,000, News Corp. has said in government filings.

“News Corp. acquired the papers when it bought Dow Jones & Co.., publisher of The Wall Street Journal, in 2007. It tried briefly to sell the papers at that time but pulled the papers off the market in 2008.

“Newspaper industry observers say potential buyers could include Warren Buffett‘s Berkshire Hathaway, which has bought dozens of local newspapers in the last year, as well as Halifax Media Group, which bought the New York Times Co.’s regional newspapers last year.”

Read more here.

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