Just two weeks short of its seventh anniversary, the Grimsby Lincoln (ON) News has been sold.
The newspaper, founded by publisher and editor Mike Williscraft in March 1997, was sold Tuesday, March 16, to Metroland Printing, Publishing and Distributing Ltd.
ÔÇ£We are really excited to have the Grimsby Lincoln (ON) News as part of the Metroland family,ÔÇØ said Murray Skinner, president of Metroland, which owns 63 newspapers. ÔÇ£We think we produce the best newspapers in the province, in the country and in North America.ÔÇØ
Skinner said the only direction Metroland gives to its newspapers is that they be ÔÇ£the local voice of the communityÔÇØ.
He said the quality of the News, its strong commitment to the communities it serves, and the loyalty of its readership and advertisers, was what captured MetrolandÔÇÖs attention.
ÔÇ£Its values, which are the same as our own, made the paper very attractive to us,ÔÇØ he added.
Williscraft will remain at the helm of the operation as general manager.
ÔÇ£The sale will be good for the community because Metroland executes the same level of community support we believe is crucial to being an integral part of the communities we serve,ÔÇØ said Williscraft.
ÔÇ£Their track record on editorial quality and community service is unparalleled in the community newspaper industry and that reputation was key to even participating in a purchase conversation.ÔÇØ
From the standpoint of the NewsÔÇÖ readers and advertisers, it will be business as usual, said Williscraft.
ÔÇ£IÔÇÖve been instructed to continue to operate the west end publications as I have in the past. Metroland has said they like what weÔÇÖre doing here,ÔÇØ he added.
Any changes as a result of the sale will be internal, said Williscraft.
Metroland is a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and publishes 63 award-winning community newspapers in Ontario. TorstarÔÇÖs newspaper operations include the Toronto Star, CityMedia Group (including the Hamilton Spectator) and Metroland Printing, Publishing & Distributing Limited. Additional information about the company is available on the Internet at www.metroland.com.
The News began in the basement of WilliscraftÔÇÖs home with just two-and-a-half employees. It was first circulated to 8,000 homes in Grimsby, but within two years it had branched out into the Lincoln areas and then into West Lincoln.
After moving into a downtown office, the paper has continue to grow to the point where the business has seen two expansions in three years.
There are now more than a dozen full-time employees and a half-dozen more part -time. The circulation of the paper has grown to 20,000 and covers the area between Winona to the Jordan/St. Catharines border and into the far reaches of West Lincoln Township. In addition to the Grimsby Lincoln (ON) News, a second publication, Niagara West This Week, began publishing in September.