The Pioneer News Group Co. announced Oct. 5 that it was selling its media division assets to family-owned Adams Publishing Group. The sale will include 22 daily and weekly newspapers in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Utah along with a newspaper and commercial print facility, various shoppers and websites. The sale is expected to be finalized on Nov. 1, 2017. Terms were not disclosed.
The Pioneer News Group is a family media business owned by members of the Scripps family. The Scripps family has a long history in newspapers, starting with EW Scripps who started the Detroit Evening News in 1873 and the Cleveland Penny Press in 1878, which led to a bigger chain of newspapers that included the St. Louis Chronicle and Cincinnati Post. Pioneer Newspapers was formed by James G. Scripps in 1986. The company is owned by Leighton Wood and his children Stedem, Marnie, Heather, Laura and eight next-generation family members. Marnie Roozen is Chairwoman of the company’s Board of Directors.
Adams Publishing Group, based in Minneapolis, Minn., owns and operates 100 community newspapers in 11 states, including Wisconsin publications the Ashland Daily Press, Bayfield County Journal, Price County Review, Sawyer County Record, Spooner Advocate, the Rice Lake Chronotype, Eau Claire Leader-Telegram and The Country Today.
In addition to its community newspaper company, the Adams family owns radio stations, outdoor advertising companies, a wine distribution business, label printing companies, and a large interest in Camping World Holdings, a publicly traded national network of RV dealers, affinity programs, the Good Sam Club, and other RV related products and services.
Pioneer newspapers in the sale include The Ellensburg Daily Record, The Klamath Falls Herald and News, The Lake County Examiner, The Klamath Falls Nickel, The Skagit Valley Herald, The Anacortes American, The Burlington Argus, The Sedro-Woolley Courier-Times, The Stanwood Camano News, The Logan Herald Journal, The Tremonton Leader, The Bozeman Daily Chronicle, The Belgrade News, The Idaho Press Tribune, The Idaho State Journal, The Kuna Melba News, The Meridian Press, The Emmett Messenger Index, The Montpelier News-Examiner, The Preston Citizen, The Rexburg Standard Journal and The Teton Valley News.
Cribb, Greene & Cope represented the Pioneer News Group Co. in the transaction.
