SANDUSKY, OH — Ogden Newspapers will purchase the Sandusky Register and Norwalk reflector from Sandusky Newspapers, Inc., according to Randy Cope of Cribb, Greene & Cope who represents Sandusky in the transaction.
“We’re fortunate to be able to turn the papers over to another family company, owned by the Nutting family, who have demonstrated a record of editorial independence and local emphasis, and have a long-standing commitment to quality community journalism,” said David Rau, CEO of Sandusky Newspapers. “We believe they will be good stewards in the rapidly changing media world.”
Ogden Newspapers CEO Robert Nutting, who came to Sandusky on Wednesday and met with the Register’s staff, said his family is proud to be selected as the newspapers’ next publisher, and looks forward to continuing a legacy of community-based journalism that the Rau and White family has established in Sandusky and Norwalk.
“We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to inherit the legacy of their impressive work, and we look forward to publishing great community-focused newspapers and running vital media platforms to serve a region as important as Sandusky and Norwalk, home to destinations such as Lake Erie and Cedar Point,” Nutting said.
Ogden Newspapers, based in Wheeling, West Virginia, is owned by the Nutting family, which has been in the publishing and media business since 1890. Robert Nutting also is chairman of the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team. The diversified media company publishes 47 daily newspapers and a number of weekly newspapers in 16 states – Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia. The company also is the leading publisher of magazines that serve the sustainable living, rural lifestyle and farm memorabilia communities.
Sandusky has been in the publishing and media business since 1869. It sold its newspaper in Ogden, Utah to a subsidiary of the Nutting family a year ago, and sold its papers in Grand Haven, Michigan and Lebanon, Tennessee in May of this year. Rau said Sandusky will retain its newspapers in Northeast Tennessee, where it owns the Kingsport Times-News, the Johnson City Press, three weekly newspapers and various digital businesses.
Sandusky Newspapers, Inc. is being represented by Randy Cope of Cribb, Greene & Cope. Cribb, Greene & Cope is a leading merger and acquisition firm with offices in Arkansas, Montana and Californian.