The Northern Pen is under new ownership.
The community newspaper which serves the Great Northern Peninsula and Southern Labrador has been acquired by Optipress Inc. The newspaper, which was published by Bebb Publishing Ltd., was founded in 1980 by Bern Bromley.
Shawn Woodford, Group Publisher for Optipress, says the Pen is a “great addition” to the Optipress Publishing newspaper chain.
“It’s the final piece of the puzzle for Newfoundland and Labrador,” he says. “We now have newspapers covering the entire province.”
Optipress Inc. consists of two divisions – Print Atlantic and Optipress Publishing. The Northern Pen is the 25th community newspaper in a publishing chain that includes 16 publications in this province and nine in Nova Scotia.
The company’s vice-president of publishing, Peter Kapyrka, says Optipress Publishing is pleased to welcome its newest acquisition.
“The Pen has been a strong paper on the Northern Peninsula and in Southern Labrador for two decades,” he remarks. “With the efforts of its committed staff, it will be the voice of the people in this area for many more decades to come.”
Bromley says he extends thanks “to everyone on the Northern Peninsula and in Southern Labrador for supporting the Northern Pen over the years. It’s been a great experience and I hope each and everyone will support Optipress Publishing in the same way.”
Optipress Inc. was formed when Robinson-Blackmore and Cameron Publications came together, merging 15 community newspapers in Newfoundland and Labrador with 10 publications in Nova Scotia. The new company also holds the assets of Print Atlantic, the largest commercial printer in Atlantic Canada with operations in all four Atlantic provinces and the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S.