FORT ATKINSON – Adams Publishing Group has purchased the (Fort Atkinson) Daily Jefferson County Union and its affiliated weekly newspapers of Hometown News, Brian Knox, president of W.D. Hoard & Sons Co., announced Monday.
The move came on the same day APG also bought the Watertown Daily Times and the (Juneau) Dodge County Independent News.
The Daily Jefferson County Union and Hometown News publish 13 newspapers and shoppers, including The (Sun Prairie) Star, Milton Courier, The Cambridge News and Deerfield Independent, Lake Mills Leader, The (Cottage Grove) Herald-Independent and The McFarland Thistle, The (Waterloo) Courier, The Waunakee Tribune, DeForest Times-Tribune, and the Lodi Enterprise and Poynette Press.
Knox, whose decision to sell the newspaper division “was not made lightly,” said all current management will stay in place. W.D. Hoard & Sons will continue to operate its other businesses, including Hoard’s Dairyman magazine, Hoard’s Dairyman Farm and the recently launched Hoard’s Dairyman Farm Creamery.
“This is definitely a time for mixed emotions,” said Robb Grindstaff, WNA board member and general manager of the Daily Union and Hometown News. “I’m proud to have been a part of the Hoard legacy, and I’ve cherished the opportunity to have worked with Brian Knox for these past six years.
“There’s also excitement about the possibilities and the potential for our newspapers and how we can serve our communities in the years to come. Adams Publishing is well known for their commitment to quality local journalism, just as the Hoard and Knox families have been for the past century-and-a-half.”
Adams Publishing Group owns more than 30 daily newspapers, over 100 nondaily newspapers and other enterprises operating in 20 states, including Wisconsin. Jeff Petterson, president of APG Central, also serves on the WNA Board of Directors.
