Media consolidation continues as Hearst announces their acquisition of seven weekly newspapers from Hersam Acorn Newspapers, LLC in Fairfield County, Connecticut. The deal includes the print and digital assets of The Ridgefield Press, The Wilton Bulletin, New Canaan Advertisers, The Darien Times, The Shelton Herald, The Trumbull Times and The Milford Mirror. The newspapers will join the Hearst Connecticut Media Group which currently includes eight daily newspapers including New Haven Register, Connecticut Post, Greenwich Time, Stamford Advocate and The Norwalk Hour and 20 weekly newspapers.
Hearst Connecticut Media Group includes more than 200 reporters and 29 websites for the brands named above along with TowerDigitalAgency.com, CTHouseHunter.com and InGearCT.com and four magazines including Connecticut Magazine, a 45-year-old monthly magazine with 380,000 print and online readers across the state and The Connecticut Bride, a full-service bridal magazine with circulation of 25,000.
“As Hearst looks to grow its news brands and coverage across Connecticut to reach some of the most desirable consumers and decision-makers in the nation, these successful weeklies are an excellent fit,” said Hearst Newspapers president Jeff Johnson in an October 18 news release. “The acquisition will only strengthen the journalism and services we can offer readers and advertisers in the region. We thank Hersam Acorn co-owners Martin Hersam and Thomas Nash for overseeing the growth of these businesses.”
Paul Barbetta, group publisher and president of Hearst Connecticut Media Group and senior vice president of circulation for Hearst Newspapers, will oversee operations for the acquired newspapers.
“Hearst Connecticut Media Group is committed to delivering the highest standard of reporting across local communities in our state,” Barbetta said. “This acquisition furthers our ability to serve consumers and advertisers in one of the country’s top markets.”
“Hersam Acorn Newspapers is grateful to have served the readers of Fairfield County over the years. We are certain Hearst Newspapers’ Connecticut Media Group will continue to provide the same committed service,” said Hersam and Nash of the deal.
The news comes just three days after Hearst named Matt DeRienzo their vice president of news and digital content at Hearst Connecticut Media Group. In this newly-created role, Hearst said DeRienzo would manage the editors of the company’s eight daily and 13 weekly newspapers along with 21 news websites. DeRienzo came from LION Publishers where he was executive director. He has been a journalist for 25 years, serving as a reporter, editor, publisher, and corporate director of news. He also taught journalism at Quinnipiac University and the University of New Haven.
“In addition to his deep roots and experience in Connecticut, Matt has emerged as a national thought leader on successful, sustainable models for local journalism,” said Johnson in an October 15 news release. “He’ll lead the Hearst Connecticut Media Group-the largest local news organization in the state-with a focus on ambitious, highly differentiated journalism, and, through thoughtful discourse, involve the readers and communities we serve.”
“Investigative and enterprise journalism that has real impact on people’s lives-that’s our North Star; it is what sets us apart when we ask readers for their time, their engagement and their financial support,” DeRienzo said. “We have a tremendous opportunity to build new journalism products that are ‘everything about something’ and that solve problems for our readers. The thread that will run through everything is the feedback we get from our readers as we partner with them at every step.”
In late September, Hearst Connecticut Media Group announced a content partnership with the Connecticut News Project, Inc.’s The Connecticut Mirror, a nonprofit, independent online news publisher, founded in 2009. About 90 percent of The Mirror’s funding comes from 900 individual donors and community, corporate and private foundations. About 10 percent of their revenue comes from advertising and content syndication. The publication employs 10.
“Hearst is committed to providing the highest quality journalism for readers, in print and online,” said Barbetta in a statement. “This partnership enhances both of our organizations and enables us to activate the state’s largest contingent of journalists covering our region’s public policy issues for a highly engaged audience.”
Insider Take:
Hearst continues to expand as a diversified media and information behemoth, owning more than 360 businesses including major interests in cable TV networks including A&E, HISTORY, Lifetime and ESPN; 31 TV stations including WCVB-TV in Boston and KCRA-TV in Sacramento; newspapers across the country; more than 300 magazines including Esquire, Good Housekeeping, Car and Driver and Food Network Magazine; as well as other investments such as Hearst Health and the Fitch Group. It continues to grow through acquisitions, such as the latest weeklies in Connecticut. In this case, they seem to have targeted a specific geographic region. Who and where will they target next?