NEWS
Final Ownership Group Announced for National Advertising Network — Alliance Consists of Twenty Industry Leaders
The network is owned by nineteen newspaper companies, including some of the most
respected community newspaper chains in the country, and Suburban Newspapers of
America (SNA), the largest trade association in North America representing the community
newspaper industry. SNA will serve as manager of the network.
7/19/2007 — The network established to make it easier for national advertisers to place business
with thousands of suburban and community newspapers now has more financial backing
thanks to the second wave of newspaper company owners.
New full owners of the network include Dix Communications; NPG Newspapers, Inc.;
Packet Publications (converted from fractional to full); and another to be named.
They join the original full owners: ASP Westward, LP; American Community Newspapers
Inc.; Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.; GateHouse Media Inc.; Schurz Communications,
Inc.; Sun-Times Media Group; and Suburban Newspapers Inc. (for profit subsidiary
of SNA).
New fractional owners of the network include: Aurora Publishing Company; CrossRoadsNews,
Inc.; Fayette Publishing Inc.; Mile High Newspapers; Red Wing Publishing Co.; and
Richner Communications. They join the original fractional owners: Rust Communications,
Recorder Community Newspapers and Holden Landmark Corporation. Fractional ownerships
were designed to accommodate smaller market newspaper companies that wanted to support
this positive movement in the industry.
All SNA members were invited to consider ownership in the network that needed outside
financial support in order to be launched. The network will serve the entire suburban
and community newspaper industry without regard for owner affiliation or SNA affiliation.
"The ownership group represents outstanding community newspaper companies including
a nice mix of small to large, with most publishing newspapers in top 35 markets,"
said Nancy Lane, President of SNA and the National Network. "These companies are
led by innovative, forward-thinking CEOs that understand the opportunity that this
network represents for the community newspaper industry. Most companies that declined
ownership at this time have expressed strong support for this network and have vowed
to work with us on rates and marketing information."
Community newspapers represent the growth segment of the industry and, unlike metro
daily newspapers, many are showing gains in circulation and advertising revenue.
Community newspapers continue to have strong connections with the communities they
serve, offering valued local print and online content often not found in other sources.
Regional and national advertisers want to reach the highly desirable markets served
by community newspapers, especially in the affluent suburbs. Now they will be able
to take advantage of a hyper-local approach to national advertising, with convenient
"one order, one bill" service and desirable rates.
Timing is perfect for the launch of such a network as media buyers struggle to reach
deep enough into communities with existing metro daily newspapers. Big box retailers
have shifted millions of dollars into community newspapers over the last five years
and national advertisers are starting to do so as well. The network will focus on
traditional national categories such as travel, luxury, telecommunications, automotive,
financial, insurance, pharmaceutical, pure-play internet, political and more. The
network will include print and online options at highly desirable rates for advertisers.
MANSI, a division of the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association, will serve as the "backshop"
for the new network and will handle all database functions, billing, ad verification,
etc. MANSI currently places over 100,000 individual insertion orders per year. They
work directly with their own clients and also handle the "one order, one bill" services
for two other major national networks. "We are excited to work with SNA on this
important industry development," said Tim Williams, President & CEO of the Pennsylvania
Newspaper Association. "We have long believed that the community newspaper industry
could benefit from a national network and SNA is the logical manager for this project
given their knowledge and focus on the suburban and community newspaper industry."
The network will launch in mid-August. A Chief Operating Officer has been hired
and will be announced tomorrow. Additional staff will also be hired in the coming
weeks. All newspapers will have the opportunity to provide rates and sign service
agreements in the next month.
For more information about the suburban and community newspaper industry, visit
www.snalocalpapers.com — the award
winning media buyer resource center that includes research, testimonials and information.
SNA is a non-profit trade association representing over 2,000 daily and weekly newspapers
in the United States and Canada. The association has a long history of providing
research and information to retail and national media buyers about the community
newspaper industry. The SNA staff visits with over 100 media buyers each year. For
more information, contact Nancy Lane at (843) 390-1531 or
nancylanesna@aol.com.