Newspaper & Mailroom
Cox Enterprises to Sell Longview News-Journal and The Marshall News Messenger to ASP Westward, L.P.
Friday 02. October 2009 - Marks completion of Cox Enterprises' newspaper assets for sale
Cox Enterprises, Inc. announced today it has reached a definitive agreement to sell two of its Texas newspapers, the Longview News-Journal (Longview) and The Marshall News Messenger (Marshall and Harrison County), to ASP Westward, L.P. The transaction is expected to close in the upcoming weeks.
“The Longview News-Journal and The Marshall News Messenger have been an important part of Cox Enterprises, and we are proud of the dedication both newspapers’ employees have shown throughout the sales process,” said Doug Franklin, executive vice president, Cox Media Group. “We are confident that ASP Westward will maintain the tradition of journalistic excellence that both newspapers have consistently demonstrated through the years.”
Gary Borders will remain the publisher of the Longview News-Journal, and Phil Latham will continue as publisher of The Marshall News Messenger. Both companies anticipate that all employees will be retained under the new ownership.
“We are excited to begin working with the employees at the Longview News-Journal and The Marshall News Messenger, whose hard work and talent have helped both papers preserve the loyalty of readers in their respective communities,” said Tom Stamper, vice president of operations, acting CEO, ASP Westward. “We are dedicated to providing readers the same high-quality service and reporting that they have experienced from both of these fine publications.”
Following the sale of the Longview News-Journal and The Marshall News Messenger, Cox will have completed its newspaper sale process. Citigroup and Dirks, Van Essen & Murray assisted Cox Enterprises in the marketing of these assets. Cox will continue to own and operate The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Austin American-Statesman, The Palm Beach Post, Dayton Daily News, Hamilton JournalNews, The Middletown Journal and Springfield News-Sun, as well as more than a dozen non-daily papers associated with these publications.