Sound Publishing announced Tuesday it will buy Olympic View Publishing Company.
Olympic View Publishing Company, produces two Clallam County newspapers, the Sequim Gazette and the Forks Forum. In addition, the company also publishes two real estate magazines, Olympic Peninsula Homes-Land Magazines based on the North Olympic Peninsula and Islander Homes-Land Magazine with distribution in Island and San Juan counties.
Sound Publishing — which owns the South Whidbey Record and the Whidbey News-Times — is owned by Black Press, Ltd., based in British Columbia, Canada. They are the largest community newspaper group in Washington state with 46 titles and a total circulation of 732,700. The company publishes high quality newspapers and is the recipient of many statewide and national awards.
“We are thrilled with the purchase of the Sequim Gazette,” said Black Press CEO David Black.
“We have been publishing community newspapers for 22 years in Washington State and see this as an opportunity to expand our operations to the North Olympic Peninsula which is a good geographical fit with our other newspapers and website titles. The Gazette is one of the best newspapers the state in terms of quality. We are proud to be the new stewards of the business,” Black said.
Olympic View Publishing Company has been owned and operated by Brown M. Maloney for more than 23 years.
“It is with mixed emotions that I reflect upon selling my company, but there is a sense of pride in what my staff has achieved over the past two decades,” Maloney said. “I am pleased to see Olympic View Publishing pass into the hands of Sound Publishing, who are as passionate about newspapers and as committed to community journalism as I have been since 1988.”
The new owners have announced that publisher Sue Ellen Riesau will remain in her role overseeing the operations of the company.
“I have been with Brown for almost his entire 23 years here, and of course, I am sad to see the end of an era,” Riesau said. “At the same time however, I have known and worked with Sound Publishing almost as long. They are a solid newspaper company with a great track record and passion for community newspapers. I look forward to the future.”
Maloney also owns ABC affiliate KONP, an AM/FM Radio station in Port Angeles. KONP Radio is a separate company and is not part of the transaction announced Tuesday. Maloney will continue to own and operate the station with Todd Ortloff, who is a minority partner in the business.
The purchase is the second major acquisition announced this week by Black Press.
The company announced Monday it would buy the Peninsula Daily News, Sequim This Week and its related web sites from by Horvitz Newspapers.
