Adams Publishing Group, LLC (APG) has acquired The Greater Beloit Publishing Company, including the Beloit Daily News, Weekend Daily News and My Stateline Shopper according to Randy Cope of Cribb, Greene & Cope who represented Hagadone Corporation in the transaction. Also included in the purchase are all associated websites and the company’s Midwest digital business.
Mark Adams, Adams Publishing Group CEO, said, “We are very excited to have the Beloit newspapers join the Adams group of newspapers. The Beloit Daily News longtime associates have served the Beloit community well and we look forward to continuing that tradition. Beloit is exactly the type of community we look for as we continue to expand our company, and this market fits well with other publishing properties we own in the great state of Wisconsin.”
The Beloit Daily News traces back to a series of newspapers founded in the 1840s. By 1915 the competing newspapers had all been consolidated under the banner of the Beloit Daily News. In January of 1969, Duane Hagadone and the Hagadone Corporation purchased the Beloit Daily News from the Walter Strong family. The Beloit Daily News was the first daily newspaper in Wisconsin with a website, which launched in June 1995.
“The Beloit Daily News is an award-winning publication”, said Jeff Patterson – President APG Central Division. “We look forward to working with the talented staff in Beloit and uniting their efforts with our other award-winning publications in Wisconsin”, Patterson added. In southeast Wisconsin, APG currently operates daily newspapers in Fort Atkinson and Watertown, and weeklies in Sun Prairie, Waterloo, Cottage Grove, Cambridge, Lake Mills, Milton, Waunakee, DeForest and Lodi, WI. It also has recently announced an agreement to purchase the Gazette in Janesville and The Eagle Herald in Marinette – and its weekly community newspapers – The Janesville Messenger, The Wisconsin/Illinois Stateline News and Walworth County Shopper Advertiser.
Adams Publishing Group owns and operates 30 daily newspapers and over 100 weekly newspapers in 20 states. In addition to its community newspaper company, the Adams family operates radio stations, outdoor advertising, a wine distribution business, Camping World Good Sam Club, and Gander Outdoors.
The sale was handled for the sellers by Randy Cope of Cribb, Greene & Cope. Cribb, Greene & Cope is a leading merger and acquisition firm with offices in Virginia, Arkansas, Montana, and California.