Catoosa County News’ parent company takes over printing for six more papers

Times-journal Inc., parent company of The Catoosa County News, will begin printing six other Georgia newspapers at the company’s press facilities in Rome.

Times-journal Publisher Otis Brumby III announced Thursday, July 15, that the company will phase in the production of the Gwinnett Daily Post, Rockdale Citizen, Newton Citizen, Henry Herald, Clayton News and the Jackson Progress-argus, all titles owned by Southern Community Newspapers Inc.

Times-journal Inc. will print and provide inserting and other preparation services.

“We have been working closely with SCNI, helping each other, for several years,” Brumby said. “Whenever we can share resources and operate more efficiently, it helps both companies.”

SCNI President and CEO Mike Gebhart agreed. “There is a synergy between our two companies that we have tapped into before,” Gebhart said. “We are similar in size, product and geography, and this partnership strengthens both of us.”

The SCNI newspapers have been printing at the company’s Lawrenceville facilities in Gwinnett County. That pressroom is expected to close in mid-august when the transition of all papers to TJI production is complete.

The Rome pressroom, under the direction of VP of Operations Doug Crow, currently prints all Times-journal publications, including the Marietta Daily Journal, Rome News-tribune, Cherokee Tribune, Cherokee Ledger-news, Calhoun Times, Polk County Standard-journal, Catoosa County News, Walker County Messenger and the Neighbor newspapers serving metro Atlanta. The Daily Citizen (Dalton) and Gadsden (Alabama) Times are also commercial clients.

Previously, SCNI has outsourced to TimesJournal the company’s creative services, layout and news pagination and its customer service call center.