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Akron Beacon Journal sold to GateHouse Media, owner of Canton and Columbus papers

Staff at the newspaper were informed of the pending sale during a meeting Wednesday afternoon.

AKRON: — AKRON -- The Akron Beacon Journal is changing hands again.

This time the venerable Pulitzer Prize winning newspaper is being purchased by GateHouse Media. The sale price was announced at $16 million.

Staff at the newspaper were informed of the pending sale during a meeting Wednesday afternoon.

GateHouse owns 142 newspapers, including the Canton Repository and the Columbus Dispatch. They also own a batch of smaller Ohio daily and weekly papers.

Black Press bought the Akron Beacon Journal in 2006 following the sale of the Beacon Journal’s former corporate parent Knight Ridder to California-based newspaper chain McClatchy Co. The reported price was $165 million.

During the staff meeting, company officials notified union employees that their existing contract would not be honored by the new owners and all employees must reapply for work, sources from the newspaper told WKYC.

Sources say the interviews will start as soon as Thursday and are expected to end by next week.

"The Akron Beacon Journal is more than Akron's only daily print newspaper - it is a major employer that occupies a landmark downtown building," said Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan in a statement. "In a time of immense change, with significant positive momentum, Akron's people and institutions deserve media coverage that accurately and fully tells our story to the region and the world. We will expect nothing less from the Beacon, as the institution enters the next chapter of its long history in the Akron community."

The Newspaper Guild represents the newspapers 45 to 50 writers, photographers and some editors. Union officials have yet to comment. At its peak, the newsroom employed about 180. Circulation has dipped to 68,000, a fraction of the nearly 190,000 daily subscribers in the late 1990s.

It appears likely that the Beacon Journal and Repository will combine some operations. It is unclear if the Beacon Journal building in downtown Akron will remain open. The building was not part of the sale of the newspaper. Black Press has been trying to sell the building for years.

Staff at the Beacon Journal in all departments have been cut drastically in the past decade and the first- and second-floors of the building are largely empty.

“The Akron Beacon Journal is a great addition to our large Ohio footprint of properties,” said Michael E. Reed, President and Chief Executive Officer of New Media Investment Group, owners of GateHouse Media. “In addition to being a long-standing dominant source of award-winning journalism, its proximity to our properties in Wooster, Canton and Columbus is very exciting as we see many opportunities for growth. We look forward to working with the team in Akron to further enhance the partnership the publications have within their community.”

Read the full release below:

Official release of sale of Akron Beacon Journal by WKYC.com on Scribd

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