The deal is done and in just a few hours, The Commercial Appeal will be owned and operated by Gannett Co. Inc., the largest newspaper company in the country.
Gannett and Journal Media Group Inc., the current owner of The Commercial Appeal, closed the $280 million deal this afternoon and it will be effective by 10:59 p.m. CST.
“Today’s announcement marks an important milestone as we combine two award-winning media companies with a passion for delivering outstanding news and information, each focused on digital growth across all platforms and devices and being the market leaders in our communities,” Robert Dickey, president and CEO of Gannett, said in statement.
The deal included 15 daily newspaper in nine states. They include:
California
Record Searchlight (Redding)
Ventura County Star (Ventura County)
Florida
Naples Daily News (Naples)
The Treasure Coast Newspapers (Stuart)
Indiana
Evansville Courier & Press (Evansville)
Kentucky
The Gleaner (Henderson)
South Carolina
Anderson Independent Mail (Anderson)
Tennessee
Knoxville News Sentinel (Knoxville)
The Commercial Appeal (Memphis)
Texas
Abilene Reporter-News (Abilene)
Corpus Christi Caller-Times (Corpus Christi)
San Angelo Standard-Times (San Angelo)
Times Record News (Wichita Falls)
Washington
Kitsap Sun (Kitsap)
Wisconsin
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee)
The purchase puts all but one of Tennessee’s major daily newspapers into the Gannett portfolio. The Chattanooga Free-Times Press will remain privately held.