Capital Region Independent Media has acquired Manchester Newspapers, Inc., Granville, New York, and all associated digital and print products, according to John Thomas Cribb, of Cribb, Greene & Cope, who represented the Manchester family in the sale.

Manchester Newspapers is a weekly newspaper and specialty publishing company that prints five newspapers each week as well as 40-plus specialty publications annually. Its parent newspaper, the Granville Sentinel, has been in the family since its founding in 1875 by James Lillie McArthur, great-grandfather of the current owner.

Other newspapers included in the sale are the Whitehall Times, the North Country FreePress, the Hudson Falls FreePress and the Lakes Region FreePress. All totaled the newspapers are delivered into some 33,000 homes each week.

Publishers John and Lisa Manchester said Capital Region Independent Media was the perfect fit for the purchase.

“The new owner, Mark Vinciguerra, is dedicated to continuing publishing quality, locally owned newspapers and he realizes the importance these newspapers have to the communities they serve. He also will be able to greatly enhance the digital and internet aspects of the business, which is so critical these days,” said John Manchester.

“Our family has been blessed to have been able to serve our readers over the past 144 years,” he added. “That success we attribute to our loyal readers and businesses that were so generous in supporting our journalistic efforts.

“Lastly, we cannot thank enough our dedicated staff that have worked so hard in helping us make our small country weekly newspapers a success over the years.”

John Thomas Cribb of Cribb, Greene & Cope represented the Manchesters in their sale to Capital Region Independent Media. Cribb, Greene & Cope is a leading merger and acquisition firm with offices in Arkansas, Montana, and California.