A Western N.C and East Tenn. family-owned publishing group, Jones Media changed hands today. It was bought out by family-owned, Adams Publishing Group based in Minneapolis Minn. the sale included at least 14 newspapers scattered across the region including The Avery Times-Journal and three Watauga County papers.
From Crib, Green and Cope newsletter on publishing mergers and acquisitions:
Jones Media, a fourth-generation family-owned media company with three daily and several non-daily community newspapers, tourism-related products and services and a digital marketing solutions agency, has been sold according to Gary Greene, Cribb, Greene & Cope. The buyer of Jones Media’s assets is family-owned Adams Publishing Group, based in Minneapolis, Minn., and chaired by Steve Adams.
The transaction closed Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016, for an undisclosed amount. The sale was announced in a joint statement of the two companies.Newspapers included in the sale include The Greeneville Sun (Greeneville, Tenn.), The Daily Post-Athenian (Athens, Tenn.), The Daily Times (Maryville, Tenn.), The Newport Plain Talk (Newport, Tenn.), The Rogersville Review (Rogersville, Tenn.), the News-Herald (Loudon County, Tenn.), The Connection (Tellico Village, Tenn.), The Advocate & Democrat (Monroe County, Tenn.),The Herald-News (Dayton, Tenn.), the Watauga Democrat (Boone, N.C.), The Mountain Times (Watauga County, N.C.), Ashe Mountain Times (West Jefferson, N.C.), The Avery Journal-Times (Avery County, N.C.) and The Blowing Rocket (Blowing Rock, N.C.).
Jones Media’s holdings also include two other major operations:
Touring Publications is based in Sevierville, Tenn., and serves the Great Smoky Mountains region and the southeastern United States with a multitude of print and digital publications, travel guides and services.
High Road Digital, based in Johnson City, Tenn., is a full-service digital marketing solutions firm serving the needs of businesses in eastern Tennessee, southwestern Virginia, western North Carolina and beyond.
Adams Publishing Group owns and operates newspapers and printing plants in 11 states and is a division of an Adams company that owns and operates a number of other businesses, including Adams Outdoor, Fairway Outdoor, Adams Radio Group, Good Sam, Camping World, and wineries and vineyards in the United States and Europe. Gregg Jones will continue as president and CEO of Jones Media, a role he has held for more than 15 years, and will succeed his late father, John M. Jones, III, as publisher of The Greeneville Sun.
Cribb, Greene & Cope of Charlottesville, Va., represented Jones Media, Inc., in the sale.
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