The Indiana Publisher

May 2022 IP

Hoosier State Press Association - The Indiana Publisher

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May 2022 Page 3 Staff Reports Journal Gazette (Fort Wayne) Fort Wayne Newspapers will purchase Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly and other pub- lications from KPC Media, the two companies announced May 18. The News Sun, based in Kendallville and serving Noble and LaGrange counties; The Star, serving DeKalb County; The Herald Republican, serving Steuben County; the semi-week- ly Post & Mail, serving Whitley County; several weekly news- papers; websites; social media platforms; and niche magazines, phone books and other publica- tions are also part of the deal. Once completed, the former KPC publications will become part of Fort Wayne Newspapers, in which The Ogden Newspapers owns controlling interest. Michael Christman, a regional publisher with Ogden, said Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly will remain the leading source of locally reported busi- ness news and features focused on the area's economic well- being. "Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly has served Allen County's business community well for nearly two decades under the Witwer family's lead- ership," said Christman, who is also a former president and CEO of Fort Wayne Newspapers. "We hope to honor and build on their legacy well into the future by continuing to publish — both in print and on our digital platforms — a community-focused busi- ness journal that is informative both for business leaders and the general public." Fort Wayne Newspapers believes "very strongly in the power of publications such as Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly and the other KPC Media publications and the role they play in informing their communities with trusted local news," said Cameron Nutting Williams, vice president of the industry organization America's Newspapers and a member of the Fort Wayne Newspapers' owner- ship team. "We believe in their value to readers, advertisers, and com- munities," Williams said. "We believe that strong, responsible and connected local publications are critically important to build- ing and supporting communities, now more than ever." Richard Stolz, KPC Media's publisher, said he is grateful that Fort Wayne Newspapers will maintain the traditions Business Weekly has become known for. "We launched the Business Weekly nearly 20 years ago because we believed there was a large audience of readers thirsty for timely information about northeast Indiana's dynamic business environment, and busi- ness-oriented marketers seeking to connect with that audience," Stolz said in a statement. Lori Fritz, president and CEO of Fort Wayne Newspapers, said the weekly will continue to have an independent editorial voice. "We are excited to be continu- ing our partnership with Greater Fort Wayne and all of our busi- ness partners to produce compel- ling and important business news for our region while also provid- ing new opportunities for our partners to share their message," Fritz said. Fort Wayne Newspapers is a partnership between The News Publishing Co., owned by The Ogden Newspapers of Wheeling, West Virginia, and the locally owned Journal Gazette Co. Fort Wayne Newspapers oper- ates Fortwayne.com, publishes Fort Wayne Magazine and is the business agent for The Journal Gazette newspaper. The Journal Gazette newsroom operates independently of Fort Wayne Newspapers and Fritz said the new KPC acquisitions will oper- ate separately and independently from The Journal Gazette. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The sale is expected to close later this month. Fort Wayne Newspapers to purchase KPC Media Group "We are excited to be continuing our part- nership with Greater Fort Wayne and all of our business partners to produce compelling and important business news for our region while also providing new opportunities for our partners to share their message." — Lori Fritz, president & CEO, Fort Wayne Newspapers "We believe in their value to readers, adver- tisers, and communities We believe that strong, responsible and connected local publications are critically important to building and support- ing communities, now more than ever." — Cameron Nutting Williams, vice president of America's Newspapers & member of Fort Wayne Newspapers' ownership team

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