Transcontinental Media announced its acquisition of the Grenfell Sun and the Broadview Express weekly newspapers from Stone Printing and Publishing Company Limited. With over a century of service and a total circulation of over 1,700 homes in Southern Saskatchewan,the two weeklies will strengthen Transcontinental Media’s position in the area, as the newspaper group already owns six other newspapers in the prairie province.
“With eight well-established papers in the area, we are building a strong editorial presence in Southern Saskatchewan, and continue to strengthen our advertising offering our clients who want an opportunity to expand their reach in Southern Saskatchewan,” said Marc-No├½l Ouellette, senior vice president, Newspaper Group at Transcontinental Media. “Today’s announcement is also in line with our long-term strategy to create a greater presence in Saskatchewan with an eventual goal of providing editorial and advertising content to more than 65,000 households in 140 communities.”
The acquisition includes the newspapers, the commercial printing operation and the building in which they are located.
“We are delighted to welcome the Grenfell Sun and the Broadview Express to the Transcontinental family,” said Rob Clark, group publisher for the Saskatchewan newspapers. “And we are even more pleased that Dwayne Stone and staff have agreed to stay on with Transcontinental. Dwayne’s experience and knowledge will be a great help with the transition and with running the two weekly newspapers.”
Dwayne Stone, publisher and owner of the Grenfell Sun and the Broadview Express added, “Transcontinental Media has a strong track record of serving the needs of communities across Canada through local newspapers. We are pleased to know that our readers and advertisers will continue to enjoy our paper’s unique voice, while also benefiting from the new value added by Transcontinental Media’s more extensive products and services.”
Transcontinental Media’s eight newspapers in Saskatchewan now include Prince Albert Daily Herald, Moose Jaw Times-Herald and the following six weeklies and bi-weeklies: The Radville Star, The Deep South Star, The Triangle News in Coronach, The SouthWest Booster in Swift Current, The Grenfell Sun and The Broadview Express.
This acquisition brings Transcontinental Media’s newspaper total to 167 community publications across Canada, totalling some 250 million copies annually.