CNHI, LLC (formerly Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.) is an American
publisher
Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...
of
newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...
s and advertising-related publications throughout the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. The company was formed in 1997 by Ralph Martin,
[Company History: Community Newspaper Holdings Inc.](_blank)
a
Answers.com
(accessed March 31, 2010) and is based in
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...
(after moving from
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...
in September 2011). The company is financed by, and is a subsidiary of, the
Retirement Systems of Alabama
Retirement Systems of Alabama is the administrator of the pension fund for employees of the state of Alabama. It is headquartered in the state capital Montgomery, Alabama. David G. Bronner is the chief executive officer.
Under Bronner's leader ...
.
History
The company has been formed by acquisitions. It started by acquiring many of the smaller former
Park
A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...
papers from
Media General
Media General was an American media company based in Richmond, Virginia. The company's origins can be traced back to 1887 when Richmond attorney Joseph Bryan acquired ''The Richmond Daily Times'', which later became ''The Richmond Times-Dispatch ...
. Two years later, it bought several papers from
Hollinger International
Sun-Times Media Group (formerly Hollinger International) is a Chicago-based newspaper publisher.
History
Sun-Times Media Group was founded in 1986 under the name ''American Publishing Company'', as a holding company for Hollinger Inc.'s Americ ...
. In 2000, it acquired another batch of papers from the
Thomson Corporation
The Thomson Corporation was one of the world's largest information companies. It was established in 1989 following a merger between International Thomson Organisation Ltd (ITOL) and Thomson Newspapers. In 2008, it purchased Reuters Group to fo ...
.
In 2002, CNHI paid $182 million for 4 daily newspapers and other non-daily publications from Ottaway Newspapers Inc., the community newspaper group of Dow Jones & Co. Inc., that Ottaway had determined not to be growth markets. In 2006, the company acquired 6 more newspapers from Ottaway. Ottaway used $144 million of the 2002 sale to buy the Record newspaper in Stockton, California, in 2003. In September 2013, Dow Jones, which had renamed the properties as Dow Jones Local Media Group, sold the entire remaining group of 33 community newspapers to Newcastle Investment Corp. for a total of only $87 million. In 2007, CNHI sold the ''
Santa Cruz Sentinel
The ''Santa Cruz Sentinel'' is a daily newspaper published in Santa Cruz, California, covering Santa Cruz County, California, and owned by Media News Group.
Ottaway Community Newspapers, a division of Dow Jones & Company bought the paper in 1982 ...
'', a former Ottaway publication, to
MediaNews Group.
As of 2006, CNHI owned 90 daily newspapers and more than 200 non-daily newspapers in 22 states. George Wakefield is CNHI chairman; Donna Barrett is president and
CEO. CNHI newspapers are clustered in groups that cross-sell packages to advertisers
and occasionally feature shared editorial content.
In 2009, CNHI implemented mandatory
furloughs for most non-sales staff, requiring employees to take a mandatory week off without pay every quarter. As of 2015, these DOWOP (days off without pay) were still in effect. Also in 2014, most CNHI newspaper sites put a paywall into place, requiring readers to subscribe after reading 5 articles.
On June 24, 2010, the company announced that it would relocate its headquarters and about 70 jobs to
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...
, into the RSA Dexter Tower Building when that building is complete in late 2011 or early 2012.
Like its former headquarters in Birmingham, the new building is owned by
Retirement Systems of Alabama
Retirement Systems of Alabama is the administrator of the pension fund for employees of the state of Alabama. It is headquartered in the state capital Montgomery, Alabama. David G. Bronner is the chief executive officer.
Under Bronner's leader ...
, which is the principal source of investment funding for CNHI.
David G. Bronner, CEO of the RSA, said the move will be good for the community and the company. ''The Montgomery Advertiser'' newspaper reported that Bronner was a key player in the move. With CNHI's Birmingham lease expiring, the decision to bring the company to Montgomery "was something that I strongly suggested," he said, according to the newspaper. The city and Montgomery County offered $300,000 in incentives to pay moving costs for the company.
In April 2012, along with
GateHouse Media,
Lee Enterprises
Lee Enterprises, Inc. is a publicly traded American media company. It publishes 77 daily newspapers in 26 states, and more than 350 weekly, classified, and specialty publications. Lee Enterprises was founded in 1890 by Alfred Wilson Lee and is b ...
and the
E. W. Scripps Company
The E. W. Scripps Company is an American broadcasting company founded in 1878 as a chain of daily newspapers by Edward Willis "E. W." Scripps and his sister, Ellen Browning Scripps. It was also formerly a media conglomerate. The company is he ...
, CNHI invested in Find n Save, an online company which offers local media an online shopping platform.
On September 25, 2017,
Raycom Media
Raycom Media, Inc. was an American television broadcasting company based in Montgomery, Alabama. Raycom owned and/or provided services for 65 television stations and two radio stations across 44 markets in 20 states. Raycom, through its Communi ...
announced that it would merge with CNHI. Both companies are already principally owned by Retirement Systems of Alabama, and there were to be administrative and content synergies between the properties. CNHI continued to operate as a subsidiary of Raycom. To comply with FCC newspaper cross-ownership restrictions, CNHI was to divest papers in the seven markets where Raycom also owns television stations.
In January 2018, CNHI announced it would be moving to a regional editor system where a small number of editors would oversee coverage of regions and states.
On June 25, 2018,
Gray Television announced it would be acquiring Raycom's television assets. CNHI was not included in the sale to Gray and CNHI is currently seeking to sell off its newspapers, as a whole or piecemeal. With the completion of the purchase on January 2, 2019, the newspapers were re-organized to a direct subsidiary of RSA as Raycom ceased to exist.
CNHI newspapers
As can be inferred by its name, CNHI tends to acquire newspapers in smaller markets and
suburbs of larger cities. Few of its
dailies have circulations above 20,000; exceptions include:
* ''
The Eagle-Tribune
''The Eagle-Tribune'' (and ''Sunday Eagle-Tribune'') is a seven-day morning daily newspaper covering the Merrimack Valley and Essex County, Massachusetts, and southern New Hampshire. It is the largest-circulation daily newspaper owned by Commu ...
'' of
North Andover, Massachusetts
North Andover is an affluent town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 census the population was 30,915.
History
Native Americans inhabited what is now northeastern Massachusetts for thousands of years prior to European c ...
—49,700
[Audit Bureau of Circulation](_blank)
"eCirc" data for six months ending September 30, 2006. Accessed December 10, 2006. Figures are approximate.
* ''
The Tribune-Democrat
''The Tribune-Democrat'' is a seven-day morning daily newspaper published in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. It is owned by Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. Starting May 5, 2020 the paper will print five days, dropping Tuesday and Sunday editions.
...
'' of
Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Johnstown is a city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,411 as of the 2020 census. Located east of Pittsburgh, Johnstown is the principal city of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area, whi ...
—41,200
[CNHI-CAN Circulation](_blank)
figures for an undetermined date, accessed January 17, 2007. Figures are approximate.
* ''
The Joplin Globe
''The Joplin Globe'' is a five-day daily newspaper published in Joplin, Missouri, United States, covering parts of 14 counties in southwestern Missouri. Ottaway Community Newspapers owned the ''Globe'' from 1975 to 2002. Since 2002, it has been ow ...
'' of
Joplin, Missouri
Joplin is a city in Jasper and Newton counties in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Missouri. The bulk of the city is in Jasper County, while the southern portion is in Newton County. Joplin is the largest city located within both Jas ...
—30,600
* ''
Cumberland Times-News
The ''Cumberland Times-News'' is a five-day morning daily newspaper serving Cumberland, Maryland, United States, and the surrounding areas of Allegany and Garrett counties in Maryland, and Mineral County in West Virginia. The paper, which has e ...
'' of
Cumberland, Maryland
Cumberland is a U.S. city in and the county seat of Allegany County, Maryland. It is the primary city of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 19,076. Located on the Potomac River, ...
—30,200
* ''
The Salem News
''The Salem News'' (formerly the ''Salem Evening News'') is an American daily newspaper serving southern Essex County, Massachusetts. Although the paper is named for the city of Salem, its offices are now in nearby Danvers, Massachusetts. The ne ...
'' of
Salem, Massachusetts
Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, located on the North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem would become one of the most significant seaports tr ...
—30,000
* ''
The Register-Herald
''The Register-Herald'' is six-day morning daily newspaper, Monday thru Friday with a Weekend Edition delivered on Saturday mornings and is based in Beckley, West Virginia, and also covering surrounding communities in Fayette, Greenbrier, Raleig ...
'' of
Beckley, West Virginia—28,700
* ''
Tribune-Star
The ''Tribune-Star'' is a seven-day morning daily newspaper based in Terre Haute, Indiana, covering the Wabash Valley area of Indiana and Illinois. It is owned by Community Newspaper Holdings.
Counties within the newspaper's coverage areas inc ...
'' of
Terre Haute, Indiana—27,900
* ''
The Herald Bulletin
''The Herald Bulletin'' is a daily newspaper serving Anderson, Indiana, and adjacent areas northeast of Indianapolis. It is owned by Community Newspaper Holdings Inc.
History
''The Bulletin'' was established as a daily in 1883, adding a weekly ...
'' of
Anderson, Indiana
Anderson, named after Chief William Anderson, is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Indiana, United States. It is the principal city of the Anderson, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses Madison County. Anderson ...
—24,300
* ''
Kokomo Tribune
The ''Kokomo Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Kokomo, Indiana, United States. It is owned by Community Newspaper Holdings Inc.
The ''Tribune'' was cited by the Audit Bureau of Circulation for the nation's highest market penetration for eig ...
'' of
Kokomo, Indiana—21,900
* ''
Mankato Free Press
''The Free Press'' is an American, English language daily newspaper published in Mankato, Minnesota.
History
On April 4, 1887, Editor L.P. Hunt published the first issue of the ''Mankato Daily Free Press'' and found it was not easy. In an apol ...
'' of
Mankato, Minnesota
Mankato ( ) is a city in Blue Earth, Nicollet, and Le Sueur counties in the state of Minnesota. The population was 44,488 according to the 2020 census, making it the 21st-largest city in Minnesota, and the 5th-largest outside of the Minnea ...
—21,700
* ''
The Herald'' of
Sharon, Pennsylvania
Sharon is a city in western Mercer County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city, located along the banks of the Shenango River on the state border with Ohio, is about northeast of Youngstown, about southeast of Cleveland and about northwest ...
—20,400
* ''
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
The ''Bluefield Daily Telegraph'' is a newspaper based in Bluefield, West Virginia, and also covering surrounding communities in McDowell, Mercer and Monroe counties, West Virginia; and Bland, Buchanan, Giles and Tazewell counties, Virginia ...
'' of
Bluefield, West Virginia
Bluefield is a city in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 9,658 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Bluefield WV- VA micropolitan area, which had a population of 106,363 in 2020.
Geography
Bluefie ...
—20,400
* ''
Daily Citizen-News'' of
Dalton, Georgia
Dalton is a city and the county seat of Whitfield County, Georgia, United States. It is also the principal city of the Dalton Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Murray and Whitfield counties.
As of the 2010 census, the ci ...
See also
*
Concentration of media ownership
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
CNHI News website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Community Newspaper Holdings
Newspaper companies of the United States
Mass media companies of the United States
Privately held companies of the United States
Companies based in Montgomery, Alabama
Publishing companies established in 1997
1997 establishments in Alabama