LIMA — A company with a track record running local newspapers has purchased the Sidney Daily News and 16 other newspapers from Civitas Media.
AIM Midwest Operating purchased the business. The company, which also owns newspapers in Indiana and Texas, is led by chairman and CEO Jeremy L. Halbreich, a Dallas-based newspaper executive. Halbreich addressed the newspaper’s sale during an employee meeting Tuesday morning in Lima.
“We’re really excited to be here now to announce the purchase of all the Ohio Civitas newspapers,” Halbreich said.
Terms of the deal weren’t released. The transaction closed this morning. All employees at the affected newspapers keep their jobs. In addition, AIM will be hiring a select group of employees currently employed by Civitas in corporate or centralized functions and located in Ohio following a period of transition.
Civitas, headquartered in Davidson, North Carolina, is a portfolio company of Philadelphia-based private equity investment firm Versa Capital Management, LLC (“Versa”).
“This is an exciting announcement. I’ve met with most of our employees and they’re excited to be joining AIM Media,” said Joshua Byers, publisher of the Sidney Daily News. “AIM is a company that has demonstrated a strong commitment to quality journalism, strong local community involvement and excellent value for advertisers.”
The transaction includes 17 daily newspapers (16 in Ohio and one in West Virginia), 15 weekly publications and a variety of specialty publications including shoppers and magazines. The largest daily newspaper included in the group is The Lima News of Lima. The purchase includes daily newspapers in smaller cities such as Delaware, Fairborn, Gallipolis, Greenville, Hillsboro, London, Piqua, Pomeroy, Portsmouth, Troy, Urbana, Washington Courthouse, Wilmington and Xenia, as well as several weekly newspapers in Ohio, as well as one newspaper in West Virginia.
“Civitas is one of the most respected and admired publishing companies principally serving local community markets in the United States,” said Halbreich, who is also the former chairman and CEO of Sun-Times Media LLC (Chicago), former founder, chairman, president and CEO of American Consolidated Media (Dallas), and former president and general manager of The Dallas Morning News.
“My associate Rick Starks (president and COO of AIM, former CEO of Ohio Community Media LLC, former managing director at Carl Marks Advisory, former executive vice president and COO at American Consolidated Media, and former senior vice president – sales & marketing of The Dallas Morning News) and I have had the recent and wonderful opportunity to become well acquainted with the senior leadership at Civitas and at Versa and we salute their demonstrated commitment and support to these local communities throughout their years of ownership. These publications and the service they provide their respective communities in Ohio and West Virginia represent a great testimony to the hard work, dedication and true community service established and maintained by Civitas over recent years in conjunction with their talented staff of dedicated employees,” Halbreich added.
“We are gratified by Civitas’ and Versa’s confidence in us as publishers of local, community newspapers to build on their recent history and allow us to enhance the focus on community service,” Halbreich said. “We look forward to providing the guidance and direction necessary for these publications and our new employees to engage their local audiences and set the civic agenda and discourse both online and in print for the communities they serve.”
Lior Yahalomi, Civitas CEO stated “I am pleased to have AIM, a first rate organization, run by such high-quality and respected media industry leaders as Jeremy Halbreich and Rick Starks, acquire Civitas’ Ohio and West Virginia properties.
“I also want to express my thanks to all of our Civitas Ohio and West Virginia employees for their long-term, loyal and conscientious service. I wish them all the best as they transition to be an integral part of the AIM organization and culture,” said Yahalomi.
About AIM Media Midwest, LLC
AIM Media Midwest, LLC is an entity formed by Halbreich and Starks for the purpose of acquiring and growing the print, online and commercial printing operations previously owned by Civitas Media, LLC in Ohio (plus one daily newspaper in West Virginia). The new company is an affiliate of AIM Media Texas, LLC and AIM Media Indiana, LLC and all entities are managed by AIM Media Management of Dallas, Texas, where Halbreich serves as chairman and CEO and Starks serves as president and COO. Both are 40+year veterans of the newspaper publishing industry where they have spent their entire careers. In addition, Halbreich is an Ohio native, born in Cleveland.
The company focuses on local content across all forms of media including print, online and video.
The company recognizes the value and benefits that local news, information and advertising services bring to local communities and regional markets.
The company is the leading information source in its communities. Through demonstrated integrity and dedicated and comprehensive approach to balanced and credible journalism, the company earns the trust and support of local readers, viewers, businesses and advertisers.
About Civitas Media, LLC
Civitas Media encompasses more than 100 publications, many of which have served their communities for more than a century. Civitas, Latin for “community” or “citizen” is a union of four media entities formerly known as Heartland Publications, Freedom Central, Impressions Media and Ohio Community Media. Civitas, which employs more than 1,100 associates across 11 states including North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Tennessee, publishes 32 daily, 28 weekend editions and 63 weekly publications for a combined circulation of more than 1.5 million. For further information, visit Civitasmedia.com.
Civitas Media, LLC was represented by Dirks Van Essen & Murray in this transaction.
