GateHouse Media Inc. (formerly Liberty Group Publishing), a holding company for New Media Investment Group (NYSE: NEWM), former symbol on OTC Markets Group's OTCQB tier GHSE, is one of the largest publishers of locally-based print and digital media in the United States, headquartered in the town of Perinton, New York. As of April 2018, GateHouse Media publishes 144 daily newspapers, 684 community publications and over 569 local market websites in 38 states. In addition to publishing content, GateHouse Media offers commercial services including a digital marketing agency (ThriveHive), event production company (GateHouse Live) and creative services (Creative Solutions).
Video GateHouse Media
History
Liberty Group Publishing
Liberty Group Publishing was formed in 1998 when Kenneth L. Serota, a former Hollinger International attorney with backing from Leonard Green & Partners bought 160 community newspapers from Hollinger.
Headquartered in Downers Grove, Illinois, Liberty then expanded the network increasing the total newspapers to 330 by 2000. Faced with problems it would downsize to 270 by June 2005.
Gatehouse Media
In June 2005, Fortress Investment Group bought Liberty for $527 million. Fortress expanded it to 75 dailies, 231 weeklies, 117 shoppers and 230 web sites.
It was renamed GateHouse and its headquarters moved to suburban Rochester, New York in April 2006.
By 2013, GateHouse Media grew, operating in 330 markets across 21 states, however they found themselves in a debt situation that would prohibit future growth. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on September 27, 2013. It reemerged from the preplanned bankruptcy in November 2013. In the restructured plan Gatehouse stock was cancelled and a new holding company for the parent -- New Media Investment Group, Inc. was formed (NYSE: NEWM).
Gatehouse Media reemerged ready to grow their portfolio, acquiring several newspaper groups between 2014-2017 including Halifax, Stephens Media, Calkins Media and Morris Publications. They also acquired Dolan Media Group and Journal Multimedia, adding business publications to their portfolio. The combined group of business publications was rebranded as BridgeTower Media.
The GateHouse Media corporate strategy continues to focus on acquiring and operating traditional local media businesses and transforming them from print-centric operations to multi-media operations. As of April 2018, GateHouse Media publishes 144 daily newspapers, 684 community publications and over 569 local market websites in 38 states.
IPO
In October 2006, GateHouse had its IPO with Fortress maintaining 60 percent ownership. Its stock dropped from $20 on initial trading in 2006 to 16 cents when it was delisted in October 2008.
On October 23, 2007, GateHouse announced it was purchasing 14 daily newspapers and other publications from Morris Communications. On August 28, 2008, GateHouse sold two of those papers, The Grand Island Independent and the York News-Times, both in Nebraska, to the Omaha World-Herald Co. The Company received notification from the NYSE on August 21, 2008, that the Company had fallen below the NYSE's continued listing standards for average global market capitalization over a consecutive 30 trading day period of not less than $75 million and $1.00 average closing price over a consecutive 30 trading day period and had submitted a business plan to the NYSE Regulation for coming back into compliance for continued listing. The Company has been in communication with the NYSE regarding the Company's non-compliance with continued listing standards but was unsuccessful in its efforts to avoid suspension and delisting.
Bankruptcy
On September 4, 2013, News Corp announced that it would sell the Dow Jones Local Media Group, a group of 33 local newspapers, to Newcastle Investment Corp.--an affiliate of Fortress, for $87 million. The newspapers were operated by GateHouse Media following the purchase. CEO Robert James Thomson indicated that the newspapers "were not strategically consistent with the emerging portfolio" of the company, which had been formed as a spin-off of News Corporation.
On September 27, 2013, the company filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Delaware. It listed assets of $433.7 million and debt of $1.3 billion. The preplanned bankruptcy centered on restructuring the Fortress News Corp deal. Fortress owns 52 percent of GateHouse debt. A Fortress unit FIF III Liberty Acquisitions LLC merged with Gatehouse in 2005.
The company emerged from bankruptcy on November 26, 2013. The terms involved the cancellation of shares of Gatehouse but those owners receiving warrants to buy shares in New Media Investment Group Inc., a new holding company.
Recent acquisitions
In January 2015, GateHouse purchased the 36 newspapers of the Halifax Media Group for $280 million. In February 2015, GateHouse purchased Stephens Media, which published newspapers mainly in Arkansas and Nevada, for $102.8 million. In December 2015, GateHouse sold the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Stephens group's largest paper, to casino magnate Sheldon Adelson for $140 million.
In November 2016, GateHouse announced it was purchasing Hutchinson, Kansas-based Harris Enterprises, which operated six daily newspapers in Kansas and Iowa. In February 2017, GateHouse purchased the Dix Communications newspaper chain for $21.2 million. Dix Communications operates in northeastern and east-central Ohio, including more than 30 daily and weekly newspapers. In June 2017, GateHouse announced it was purchasing Calkins Media Group's four six-day-a-week newspapers and Calkins Digital Group, a press facility and related websites and other digital operations.
In August 2017, GateHouse announced it was purchasing 11 daily newspapers, 30 weeklies and other assets from Morris Publishing Group, a division of Morris Communications.
In January 2018, GateHouse announced its purchase of Oregon's second-largest daily newspaper, The Register-Guard.
In February 2018, GateHouse announced the acquisition of Kirk Davis' independently owned Holden Landmark Corporation for an undisclosed sum. The sale includes the central Massachusetts media properties, Worcester Magazine, The Landmark, baystateparent Magazine, Leominster Champion, Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, and the Grafton News.
In March 2018, GateHouse announced its $47.5 million purchase of the Austin American-Statesman of Austin, Texas. The Statesman is the largest newspaper in Central Texas. In the same month, GateHouse announced it's $49.25 million purchase of The Palm Beach Post and Palm Beach Daily News from Cox Media Group, LLC.
On April 10, 2018, GateHouse announced that it had agreed to acquire the Akron Beacon Journal of Akron, Ohio for $16 million from Black Press Group . The Beacon Journal is a daily newspaper tracing its storied, Pulitzer Prize-winning history to 1839's Summit Beacon, which, early in the 20th century came under the editorship and ownership of publisher John S. Knight, serving as the flagship newspaper of the Knight Newspaper Company, later known as Knight Ridder.
Maps GateHouse Media
Holdings
Notes
References
External links
- Official website
- New Media Investment website
Source of article : Wikipedia
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