Maine newspapers find a new owner

Posted by Liz Webber on June 19, 2009 at 4:22 PM

The deal was 18 months in the making, but Richard Connor has finally succeeded in buying up the Maine-based properties of the Seattle Times Co. Connor's acquisitions include the dailies the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram, the Kennebec Journal and the Morning Sentinel, as well as MaineToday.com, the Coastal Journal and The Maine Switch.

As part of his new role as editor and publisher of the three dailies, Connor will write a weekly column, although he said he's not going to "foist" his opinions on the newspapers. Connor aims to make the group profitable by the end of the year - in part by slashing jobs. This week, 31 non-union workers were let go, and up to 100 more could meet the same fate.

Connor is no newcomer to media ownership, with The Times Leader in Wilkes-Barre, Penn., already in his stable. He also previously owned newspapers in Texas.

Two editorial goals for the upcoming year include increased collaboration among the Maine titles and adding pages to the Press Herald. Connor also plans to consolidate his holdings - and raise some cash - by selling two Press Herald/Telegram buildings in Portland.

The sale of the Maine newspapers follows a string of other transfers from large US media companies to private owners earlier this year. In April, the New York Times Co. handed over a Tennessee title to a family-based publisher. In February, Michael Schroeder, a longtime newspaper and magazine executive, snapped up two Connecticut newspapers.

Private ownership is a preferable alternative to the closures that have plagued the US local press. February saw the loss of two local Philadelphia papers and a New York county paper. Many others have been forced to cut back publication or eliminate staff.

A recent report painted an even drearier picture for small papers across the Atlantic. Media analysts Enders Media predict half of local and regional papers in the UK will shutter by 2013.

In light of other newspapers' woes, Connor's goal to make his new acquisitions profitable by the end of the year is daunting to say the least. Other than job cuts and the property sales, it's unclear how he hopes to do so. Still, as long as Connor ensures Maine readers continue to get their newspapers, he will have fared better than many others in the industry this year.