Community Newspapers Inc.
| Industry | Newspaper publishing |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1967 |
| Founder | N.J. Babb |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | |
| Revenue | $ 55,043,466[1] (2023) |
Number of employees | 510[1] (2023) |
| Website | cninewspapers |
Community Newspapers, Inc. is an American publisher of newspapers and advertising-related publications throughout the southeastern United States. The company was formed in 1967 by Newton Jerue Babb, and is based in Athens, Georgia. It owns and operates about 25 newspapers.[2] As of 2023, approximately ten employees work at the company's headquarters in Athens. Another 500 work at other locations.[1]
History
[edit | edit source]Babb founded the company in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and helped it grow to control nearly 50 newspapers.[3] On January 1, 1985, Babb and his wife (who served as president of CNI) were found dead in an apparent murder-suicide in a Holiday Inn hotel room in Tuxedo, North Carolina.[4][5] In March 1989 William J. Bresnan, Jeff DeMond, Thomas H. Wood and W.H. 'Dink' NeSmith purchased the company.[2][6]
In 1999, CNI sold the Lake City News & Post and The Weekly Observer of Hemingway to Thompson Newspapers Inc.[7] In 2006, Bresnan and DeMond were bought out and today the company is owned by Wood and NeSmith.[2][3] NeSmith is a past chairman of the Georgia Telecommunications Commission and former president of the Georgia Press Association.[3][8] In 2021, chief financial officer Mark Major replaced NeSmith as president and NeSmith took Wood's place as chairman of the board.[3]
In April 1977, CNI sold the Tribune-Times in Mauldin to Tri-City Media.[9] In March 1999, CNI agreed to acquired The Hartwell Sun, The News-Leader of Royston, and The Elberton Star (all of which were owned by Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.) in exchange for The Herald Independent of Winnsboro, The Dispatch-News of Lexington, S.C., and the Marion Star & Mullins Enterprise of Marion.[10] Later that month, CNI bought The Elbert County Examiner and combined it with the Star.[11] In September 2000 the company purchased the Lake City Reporter, Nassau County Record, the Palatka Daily News, and the Fernandina Beach News-Leader.[2] Those papers were formerly owned by The New York Times Company.[12]
By August 2001, CNI had moved its headquarters into a former Coca-Cola bottling plant built in 1928 in Athens, Georgia.[13] As of 2003, the company owned 36 weekly and three daily newspapers, as the company was pursuing the emphasis on weeklies as a differentiation strategy.[14] By 2004, CNI owned 174 weekly newspapers, more than any other company in the U.S.[15] A centralized approach to printing operations ("clustering"), where the multiple newspapers are printed in the same shop, saved costs.[16]
In 2006 CNI sold the Richmond County Daily Journal (Rockingham, N.C.), the Sylvania Telephone (Sylvania, Ga.), and The Citizen News (Edgefield, S.C.). In 2014, CNI sold the Dawson News & Advertiser (Dawsonville, Ga.).[2] In 2019, it closed the Andrews Journal and merged it with the Cherokee Scout.[17] In 2024, CNI sold the Palatka Daily News.[18]
CNI newspapers
[edit | edit source]- Cherokee Scout of Murphy, North Carolina
- The Graham Star of Robbinsville, North Carolina
- Clay County Progress of Hayesville, North Carolina
- The Franklin Press of Franklin, North Carolina
- Smoky Mountain Times of Bryson City, North Carolina
- The Highlander of Highlands, North Carolina
- Mitchell News-Journal of Spruce Pine, North Carolina
- Fernandina Beach News Leader of Fernandina Beach, Florida
- Lake City Reporter of Lake City, Florida
- Nassau County Record of Callahan, Florida
- Palatka Daily News of Palatka, Florida
- The Clayton Tribune of Clayton, Georgia
- The Dahlonega Nugget of Dahlonega, Georgia
- The Elberton Star of Elberton, Georgia
- Franklin County Citizen-Leader of Lavonia, Georgia
- The Hartwell Sun of Hartwell, Georgia
- The News Observer of Blue Ridge, Georgia
- The Northeast Georgian of Cornelia, Georgia
- The Press-Sentinel of Jesup, Georgia
- Times-Courier of Ellijay, Georgia
- The Toccoa Record of Toccoa, Georgia
- Tribune & Georgian of St. Marys, Georgia
- White County News of Cleveland, Georgia
References
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