Graphic grows

The Graphic Printing Company is growing.

The company on Monday finalized the purchase of The News-Gazette of Winchester and The News Times of Hartford City from Community Media Group, West Frankfort, Illinois.

Also part of the purchase was Red Ball, a weekly shopper.

“We’re excited about the opportunity for The Graphic Printing Company to grow with the purchase of these publications,” said Ray Cooney, who runs the day-to-day operations of The Graphic Printing Company as editor and publisher. “We believe in the importance of local news and we’re looking forward to expanding our journalistic vision in Randolph County, Blackford County and the surrounding areas.”

The two newspapers and the shopper will be added to company’s newspapers along with The Commercial Review and The News and Sun, along with its commercial printing operation.

“This is the right opportunity at the right time,” Cooney added. “It strengthens our business in the short term and it positions us well for potential growth in the future.”

The Graphic Printing Company’s board of directors approved the purchase last week. Paperwork was signed Friday, with the sale closing Monday.

“We are pleased to transfer management and ownership of these newspapers to long-time area community newspaper operators Louise Ronald, board president, and Ray Cooney, publisher, of The Commercial Review,” said Community Media Group president and CEO Mark J. Perrotto.

Community Media Group, which operates several dozen newspapers across six states, had owned The News Times since the mid 1970s and purchased The News-Gazette in the mid 1990s. The Graphic Printing Company has been contracted to print those publications since spring 2021.

Community Media Group began considering paths forward following the March departure of Leesa Friend, who had been publisher of the News-Gazette, News Times and Red Ball. A few weeks later, company officials reached out to Ronald and Cooney regarding the possible sale of its publications in east central Indiana.

The Graphic Printing Company sees the acquisition of the newspapers as a natural progression of the vision of longtime president Jack Ronald, who led the company for 37 years prior to his death in 2022. He had considered forays into the Randolph and Blackford county communities previously.

“From its beginning, The Graphic Printing Company has combined a commitment to high-quality local journalism with a love of east central Indiana,” said Louise Ronald, Jack’s sister and president of the company’s board of directors. “We look forward to serving readers — both old and new — throughout the region. As primary shareholders, the Ronald family is excited to have this opportunity to further expand upon the vision that has guided us for more than 75 years.”

“Jack’s driving force was to produce a newspaper that served its community; to highlight the people and activities that made the community special; to inform the readers what was happening in their hometown and why; and to serve as a place to exchange thoughts and opinions,” added Connie Ronald, Jack’s widow and the largest shareholder of the company. “In a time when local news faces greater challenges than ever before, I think he would be pleased to have Ray and the Graphic staff expand that vision to the Winchester and Hartford City communities."

Following the purchase, The Graphic Printing Company plans to expand its ownership group to include representation in Randolph and Blackford counties. It expects to finalize the sale of shares of stock to Matt and Jen Tarter of rural Winchester — Jen is a former employee of The Graphic Printing Company — in the coming months.

“We believe it is vital that the communities we serve be represented as shareholders and on our board of directors,” said Cooney. “Matt and Jen have invested a vast amount of their time and effort into making Randolph County a better place in which to live.

“We look forward to identifying similar community-minded individuals in Blackford County to join our team as well.”

The Tarters are owners or co-owners of Tarter Realty Auction & Appraisal Company, Chicago’s Pizza and Towne Square Cinema & Community Centre.

“I am excited for Winchester and all of Randolph County,” said Matt Tarter, who delivered newspapers for The News-Gazette when he was a child. “I have known Ray and the Ronald family for many years, having lived in Jay County. My wife and I met while she was a reporter for The Commercial Review. Ray, the Ronald Family and all of the staff at The Graphic Printing Company are so very passionate and dedicated to providing a quality and informative product to their communities. I believe in them and I believe in their vision. I love the fact our local newspaper will be under local leadership and think this will add yet another valuable quality of life element for the residents of Randolph and Blackford counties.”

The News-Gazette is a twice weekly newspaper published on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The News Times is a weekly newspaper published on Wednesdays.