Local Media Group, Inc., formerly Dow Jones Local Media Group and Ottaway Newspapers Inc., owned newspapers, Web sites and niche publications in
California,
Maine,
Massachusetts,
New Hampshire,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
,
Oregon and
Pennsylvania. It was headquartered in Campbell Hall, New York, near
Middletown, New York, and its flagship was the
Times Herald-Record.
The Ottaway organization was founded in by James H. Ottaway Sr., owner of the ''Endicott Daily Bulletin'' of
Endicott, NY
Endicott is a village in Broome County, New York, United States. The population was 13,392 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Binghamton Metropolitan Statistical Area. The village is named after Henry B. Endicott, a founding member of the E ...
, in 1936. It had grown to nine newspapers in the northeastern United States by 1970, when it was acquired by
Dow Jones & Company
Dow Jones & Company, Inc. is an American publishing firm owned by News Corp and led by CEO Almar Latour.
The company publishes ''The Wall Street Journal'', ''Barron's'', ''MarketWatch'', ''Mansion Global'', ''Financial News'' and ''Private Equ ...
, publisher of ''
The Wall Street Journal'', and later a subsidiary of
Rupert Murdoch's
News Corporation. Following its split into
21st Century Fox
Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc., doing business as 21st Century Fox (21CF), was an American multinational mass media corporation that was based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was one of the two companies formed on June 28, 2013, f ...
and
News Corp
News Corporation, stylized as News Corp, is an American mass media and publishing company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The second incarnation of the News Corporation (1980–2013), original News Corporation, it was formed ...
, the company sold the Dow Jones Local Media Group to Newcastle Investment Corp., an affiliate of
Fortress Investment Group, and merged into
New Media Investment Group.
History
Ottaway newspapers
James H. Ottaway Sr. founded the company in November 1936, when he purchased the ''Bulletin'', a semi-weekly paper in
Endicott, New York, that he converted to a daily within a year. Ottaway added the ''
Oneonta Star'' in 1944, followed two years later by the ''
Pocono Record''.
The company was a seller more often than a buyer in the 2000s (decade), however, and several observers—including the ''New York Post'', ''The Boston Globe'' and Ottaway's own ''Cape Cod Times''—speculated that News Corporation intended to sell all or part of the company in the near future.
["Ottaway Papers Might Be Sold, Including 16 in N.E."]
''NEPA Bulletin'' (Boston, Mass.), December 2007
, page 3.
Dow Jones Local Media Group
Under Dow Jones' ownership, Ottaway sold several newspapers in recent years, however, most recently in December 2006, when the company dealt nearly half its daily newspapers to
Community Newspaper Holdings
CNHI, LLC (formerly Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.) is an American publisher of newspapers and advertising-related publications throughout the United States. The company was formed in 1997 by Ralph Martin, Inc. (CNHI) for $287.9 million (including real estate).
Until December 2006, the following dailies and weeklies were also part of the Ottaway chain. Other than the California and Connecticut newspapers, they are all now part of CNHI.
* ''
Santa Cruz Sentinel'' daily of
Santa Cruz, California
* ''
The News-Times'' daily of
Danbury, Connecticut
Danbury is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located approximately northeast of New York City. Danbury's population as of 2022 was 87,642. It is the seventh largest city in Connecticut.
Danbury is nicknamed the "Hat City ...
* ''
The Spectrum'' weekly of
Milford, Connecticut
* ''
Traverse City Record-Eagle'' daily of
Traverse City, Michigan
* ''
The Grand Traverse Herald'' weekly of
Traverse City, Michigan
* ''
Cooperstown Crier'' weekly of
Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown is a village in and county seat of Otsego County, New York, United States. Most of the village lies within the town of Otsego, but some of the eastern part is in the town of Middlefield. Located at the foot of Otsego Lake in the C ...
* ''
Daily Star'' of
Oneonta, New York
Oneonta ( ) is a city in southern Otsego County, New York, United States. It is one of the northernmost cities of the Appalachian Region. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, Oneonta had a population of 13,079. Its nickname is "City of the Hil ...
* ''
Press-Republican'' of
Plattsburgh, New York
Plattsburgh ( moh, Tsi ietsénhtha) is a city in, and the seat of, Clinton County, New York, United States, situated on the north-western shore of Lake Champlain. The population was 19,841 at the 2020 census. The population of the surrounding ...
* ''
Daily Item'' of
Sunbury, Pennsylvania
* ''
The Danville News'' weekdays only, of
Danville, Pennsylvania
These four daily newspapers were sold by Ottaway to CNHI for $182 million in 2002:
* ''
The Herald'' of
Sharon, Pennsylvania
* ''
The Independent'' of
Ashland, Kentucky
* ''
The Free Press'' of
Mankato, Minnesota
* ''
The Joplin Globe'' of
Joplin, Missouri
Also, Ottaway sold the three daily newspapers of Essex County Newspapers Inc. to ''
The Eagle-Tribune'' of
North Andover, Massachusetts, in 2002, for $70 million. ''The Eagle-Tribune'', along with the Essex papers listed below, was later purchased by CNHI.
* ''
Daily News of Newburyport'' of
Newburyport, Massachusetts
Newburyport is a coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, northeast of Boston. The population was 18,289 at the 2020 census. A historic seaport with vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes part of Plum Island. The mo ...
* ''
Gloucester Daily Times'' of
Gloucester, Massachusetts
Gloucester () is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It sits on Cape Ann and is a part of Massachusetts's North Shore. The population was 29,729 at the 2020 U.S. Census. An important center of the fishing industry and a ...
* ''
Salem Evening News'' of
Salem, Massachusetts
Sale to Newcastle
On September 4, 2013,
News Corp
News Corporation, stylized as News Corp, is an American mass media and publishing company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The second incarnation of the News Corporation (1980–2013), original News Corporation, it was formed ...
announced that it would sell the Dow Jones Local Media Group to Newcastle Investment Corp.—an affiliate of
Fortress Investment Group, for $87 million. The newspapers will be operated by
GateHouse Media, a newspaper group owned by Fortress. News Corp. CEO and former ''Wall Street Journal'' editor
Robert James Thomson indicated that the newspapers were "not strategically consistent with the emerging portfolio" of the company.
GateHouse in turn filed prepackaged Chapter 11 bankruptcy on September 27, 2013, to restructure its debt obligations in order to accommodate the acquisition. Newcastle combined Local Media Group with the post-bankruptcy GateHouse Media later in 2013 to form New Media Investment Group.
Holdings
Holdings by frequency of publication
Dow Jones Local Media Group published eight daily and 15 weekly newspapers in seven U.S. states. Its circulation was given in 2005 as 282,000 daily, 316,000 Sunday and 119,000 daily unique visitors on newspaper Internet sites.
["Dow Jones Completes Sale of Six Local Newspapers." Dow Jones & Company press release, December 5, 2006.]
Daily newspapers are:
* ''
Ashland Daily Tidings'' of
Ashland, Oregon (sold)
* ''
Cape Cod Times'' of
Barnstable, Massachusetts
* ''
Mail Tribune'' of
Medford, Oregon (sold)
* ''
Pocono Record'' of
Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
* ''
The Portsmouth Herald'' of
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 census it had a population of 21,956. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination on the Piscataqua River bordering the state of Maine, Portsmou ...
* ''
The Record
The Record may refer to:
Music
* ''The Record'' (album), a 1982 studio album by the hardcore-punk band Fear
* The Records, an English power pop band
* '' Their Greatest Hits: The Record'', a 2001 greatest-hits album by the pop-music group Bee Ge ...
'' of
Stockton, California
Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. Stockton was founded by Carlos Maria Weber in 1849 after he acquir ...
* ''
The Standard-Times'' of
New Bedford, Massachusetts
New Bedford (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast (Massachusetts), South Coast region. Up throug ...
* ''
Times Herald-Record'' of
Middletown, New York
Weekly and twice-weekly newspapers include the following:
* ''
The Barnstable Patriot
''The Barnstable Patriot'' is a weekly newspaper published in and for the town of Barnstable, Massachusetts, United States. Although it bills itself as "an independent voice since 1830", ''The Patriot'' has been owned, since 2019, by Gannett. ...
'' of
Barnstable, Massachusetts
* ''
The Inquirer & Mirror'' of
Nantucket, Massachusetts
*
Hathaway Publishing, published alongside ''The Standard-Times'':
** ''
The Advocate
An advocate is a professional in the field of law.
The Advocate, The Advocates or Advocate may also refer to:
Magazines
* ''The Advocate'' (LGBT magazine), an LGBT magazine based in the United States
*''The Harvard Advocate'', a literary magazin ...
'' of
Fairhaven, Massachusetts
** ''
The Chronicle'' of
Dartmouth, Massachusetts
** ''
The Fall River Spirit'' of
Fall River, Massachusetts
** ''
Middleboro Gazette
The ''Middleboro Gazette'' is a weekly newspaper founded in 1852. Based in Middleborough, Massachusetts, its coverage area includes Lakeville, Middleboro, and occasionally Freetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. ...
'' of
Middleborough, Massachusetts
** ''
The Spectator'' of
Somerset, Massachusetts
** ''
The New England Business Bulletin'' of
Southeastern Massachusetts
*
Seacoast Media Group, published alongside ''The Portsmouth Herald'':
** ''
The Exeter News-Letter'' of
Exeter, New Hampshire (twice-weekly)
** ''
The Hampton Union'' of
Hampton, New Hampshire (twice-weekly)
** ''
The Rockingham News'' of
Plaistow, New Hampshire
** ''
York County Coast Star'' of
Kennebunk, Maine
** ''
The York Weekly'' of
York, Maine
* Hudson Valley Media Group, published alongside the ''Times Herald-Record'':
** ''
The Gazette'' of
Port Jervis, New York
Holdings by location
;California
* The Desert Dispatch, Barstow, CA
* The Record, Stockton, CA
* The Daily Press, Victorville, CA
;Massachusetts
* The Advocate
* Barnstable Patriot
* Cape Cod Times
* Cape Cod View
* The Chronicle
* The Fall River Spirit
* The Inquirer and Mirror, Nantucket, MA
* Middleboro Gazette
* Nantucket Today
* New England Business Bulletin
* The Spectator
* The Standard-Times, New Bedford, MA
;New Hampshire
* The Exeter News-Letter
* Foster's Daily Democrat
* The Hampton Union
* The Portsmouth Herald
* York County Coast Star
* The York Weekly
;New York
* Limelight Deals, Middletown, NY
* Marketing Blacksmith, Middletown, NY
* Orange Magazine
* Times Herald-Record, Middletown, NY
;Oregon
*
Ashland Daily Tidings (sold)
*
Medford Mail Tribune (sold)
* The Nickel, Medford, OR
(sold)
;Pennsylvania
* Pocono Record, Stroudsburg, PA
Footnotes
{{Gannett
American companies established in 1936
Publishing companies established in 1936
Mass media companies established in 1936
Companies based in Orange County, New York
Gannett
Ottaway Community Newspapers
Mass media in California
Mass media in Massachusetts
Mass media in New Hampshire
Mass media in New York (state)
Mass media in Oregon
Mass media in Pennsylvania
Newspaper companies of the United States
2013 mergers and acquisitions
Former News Corporation subsidiaries