Acquisitions

Cherryroad Media, Inc. has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the Trinidad (Colorado) Chronicle-news, a five-day-a-week publication that has served Trinidad and surrounding communities since 1877. The Chronicle-news is one of the oldest continuously published newspapers in Colorado. The former owners, locally based Chronicle-news Media Group, LCC, had owned the paper since 2018.

In addition, Cherryroad Media, Inc. has acquired the daily La Junta Tribunedemocrat in southern Colorado from Gannett Co., Inc., as well as three weeklies: the Fowler Tribune, Bent County Democrat and Ag Journal.

After 69 years with the Johnson family, Johnson Publications, Inc. has new owners. Brothers Jesse and Lloyd Mullen — doing business as High Plains News North LLC — have purchased The Holyoke Enterprise, The Imperial Republican and The Grant Tribune-sentinel. These weekly newspapers are located in northeast Colorado and southwest Nebraska. Included in the sale were three office buildings housing the newspapers.

Ogden Newspapers will purchase Swift Communications, the two companies announced. Swift Communications publishes local daily and weekly newspapers, magazines and other media in a dozen markets in Colorado,

Utah and California, along with a number of national niche and agricultural magazine products. Swift also operates two press facilities in Carson City, Nevada, and Gypsum, Colorado, all of which will be included in the sale. Ogden will continue to operate the existing Swift publications under the name

Swift Communications. After the close date, Swift will change its name to Questor Corp. Acres USA and Breaking Ground Institute will be part of Questor along with a portfolio of commercial and residential real estate properties in various states. With the acquisition, Ogden Newspapers will publish 54 daily newspapers and a number of weekly newspapers and magazines in 18 states.

VPM Media has purchased Style Weekly, an alternative weekly newspaper in Richmond, Virginia. Style Weekly was owned by Alden Global Capital, a hedge fund known for buying and gutting local newspapers. The hedge fund shut down the print and online publication in September.

Wallit, a state-of-the-art software firm based in Milwaukee, which provides paywall services to dozens of publishers throughout the United States, has sold a majority stake to Mvwd Enterprises, a media group based in the Berkshires (western Massachusetts) and New York’s Capital Region. Mvwd Enterprises is headed by Warren Dews, Jr. and Mark Vinciguerra.

Granite Publications, a collection of 10 non-daily newspapers and a printing operation in south Texas, has been sold to Daniel Philhower, the company’s publisher for the past five years. Granite Publications was owned by Macy Chionsini, the widow of the late Jim Chionsini. Jim Chionsini began his career in newspaper ownership in 1978, acquiring numerous Texas newspapers throughout the years. Macy said it was Jim’s hope that one day the company would be sold to Philhower.