News Briefs

Thank you judges!

AUSTIN — Twenty-four TPA members volunteered their time May 10-11 to judge the Arkansas Press Association Better Newspaper Contest.

This year’s judges were: Keith Magee,The Baytown Sun; Randy Keck & Albert Villegas, The Community News; Linda & David Jacobson; Terry & Cathy Collier, Fredericksburg Standard Radio-Post; Mark & Paula Campbell, The Azle News; David Goodspeed, Today Newspapers; Bill Crist, Brownwood Bulletin; Wanda Garner Cash, University of Texas School of Journalism; Brandi Guy, Granite Publications; Gary Dinges, Austin American-Statesman; Martha Morgan, West Austin News; Russel Skiles, Lamesa Press-Reporter; Ed Sterling & Pauline Word, Texas Press Association; Chris Grant & Tiffany L. Young, Pflugerville Pflag; Erin Boyd, The Smithville Times; and Dana Reel, Beth Nelson and Jen Biundo, The Free Press (Buda/Kyle).

Hearst buys Canyon, Muleshoe papers

Hearst Newspapers, a unit of Hearst Corp., acquired the Panhandle area’s The Canyon News and The Muleshoe Journal.

Both newspapers will maintain their staffing and editorial independence and will report directly to Sandra Aven, publisher of Hearst’s Plainview Daily Herald.

Rollie Hyde, senior associate of W.B. Grimes & Co., represented Lambai Publishing and Palo Duro Publications in the transaction.

Jim Moser was managing partner of Lambai Publishing LP (former publisher of The Muleshoe Journal) and Palo Duro Publications LP (former publisher of The Canyon News).

Silsbee publisher takes over Kirbyville weekly

KIRBYVILLE — The Kirbyville Banner is under new management of Danny and Janet Reneau, owners of The Silsbee Bee and The Hometown Press in Winnie.

Ed and Debbie Hoke had published the Banner for the past three years. Ed Hoke was involved in a serious car accident in September 2004. This spring the Hokes decided to leave the paper so Debbie Hoke could pursue other job interests.

Danny Reneau is a veteran of nearly 35 years in the newspaper business and Janet Reneau is a third-generation newspaper woman.

They recently hired part-time advertising rep Sharon Story and editor Sherri White. White worked at the Bee and the Banner. Story has worked at the Newton County News.

4 weeklies merge into 2

DEPORT — Thunder Prairie Publishing merged two of its weeklies into two other weeklies last month — the Deport Times and Blossom Times became the Deport Times/Blossom Times and the Bogata News and Talco Times became the Bogata News/Talco Times.

The publisher said the mergers were made because of escalating production and printing costs as well as a near 25 percent hike in periodical mailing rates that kick in next month.

ACM buys OK papers

DALLAS — American Consolidated Media LLC, through its wholly owned subsidiary Miami Newspapers Inc., purchased the publishing assets of The Grove Sun Newspaper Company LLC from The Peter M. Crow Revocable Living Trust.

Grove publishes The Grove Sun Daily, The Delaware County Journal, The South Grand Laker, The Miami Sun and a quarterly publication.

The seller was represented by JP Media Partners, a Gold River, Calif.-based merger-and-acquisition intermediary for the newspaper industry.

As part of the transaction, Mike Thornberry was named regional vice president and publisher of Sun Daily.

Thornberry served from June 2003-May 2007 as publisher and general manager of the Lone Star News Group, which includes the dailies Cleburne Times-Review, Weatherford Democrat and Mineral Wells Index.