Beaver Newspapers Inc. buys Ellwood City Ledger
Citizens Publishing & Printing Co. of Ellwood City has been purchased by Beaver Newspapers Inc. The Ellwood City Ledger has been published by The Beaver County Times since July 8.
The Ledger will continue to operate, as it has for 85
years, as a Monday-through-Saturday daily newspaper delivered in the afternoon, Alan Buncher, Times publisher, said.
“This purchase is different than what has been going on around the country,” Buncher said, “because we have one family-owned newspaper buying another family-owned newspaper. Elsewhere, daily community newspapers are being gobbled up by big corporations; as a consequence, local communities lose their identities and voice.”
The Ledger will continue to operate out of its building on Lawrence Avenue in Ellwood City, and the new owners will continue The Ledger’s products and services. Plans are for employees to retain their jobs at the 5,600-circulation Ledger.
W. Ryan Kegel, publisher of The Ledger, said the business of owning and operating a community newspaper has changed dramatically in recent years.
“Small-town daily newspapers are constantly facing ever-increasing costs based on the economy of scale. Major investments are needed to keep a daily newspaper viable. We know the new owners are committed to making those kinds of investments, based on what they have done with other newspaper properties. “
Kegel’s
great-grandfather, Will C. Kegel, bought the newspaper in 1923 and
published his first edition on Dec. 17 of that year. He served as editor and publisher from 1923 to 1942. From 1942 to
1967, Ryan Kegel’s
grandfather, W.F. Kegel, served as editor and publisher. Marguerite Kegel, W.F. Kegel ‘s
sister, served as business manager from 1942 until her retirement
in 1957. In 1967, W.C. Kegel, the third generation of the family, took over the operation and served as publisher from 1967 to 1991, when he retired to Florida with his wife, Joyce. Ryan Kegel was then named publisher, and his brother, Scott R
. Kegel, was named general manager.
“There are other newspaper companies that we would not
consider selling this newspaper to,” Ryan Kegel said. “But we know The Times, and we know their products. They have been an admirable competitor for years. We know they’re honorable, they have a commitment to daily newspapers, and they publish a very good newspaper.’
The Times, based in Bridgewater, is owned by Calkins Media Inc .
of
Levittown, Pa., which also operates daily newspapers in Uniontown (Herald-Standard), Levittown and Doylestown, and Willingboro, N.J. ; weekly newspapers in Waynesburg, (Greene County Democrat Messenger), and Homestead, Fla.; an ABC-affiliate television station in Sarasota, Fla.; and a commercial printing company in Pemberton, N.J .
“The Calkins family is thrilled to welcome the Elwood City Ledger to our roster of strong newspapers,” said Shirley C. Ellis, one of the owners of Calkins Media.
“We are committed to serving our communities well and providing our customers, readers and advertisers alike with a clear community voice. The Ledger has a rich history of service, and we look forward to continuing in that vein. Our family, like the Kegel family, has covered western
Pennsylvania news for a long time, and we are so pleased to be able to continue those traditions with another fine newspaper.”
Gary K. Shorts, president and chief executive officer of Calkins Media, said, “This is just a wonderful fit between two family publishers who have shared strong beliefs about community journalism and serving the public for many years. It will prove to be a good strategic fit, as well, inasmuch as it will strengthen each franchise in its core market.
“Publishing solid community newspapers is something we know and love doing. Having The Ledger as part of our company is a real feather in our cap –
we couldn’t be more pleased. We look forward to meeting folks in the area and letting them get to know us.”
“The Kegel family is extremely grateful to the business community and the subscribers of the Ledger for all they have done to support this
newspaper over the years, and we would hope that our readers and customers would extend those same courtesies to the newspaper’s new owners.”