(Star) Bulletin owner to buy Honolulu Advertiser

[mahina]

Source: Honolulu Advertiser

Oahu Publications, Inc., the owner of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Midweek and other weekly newspapers and magazines, will acquire The Honolulu Advertiser, the Advertiser's owner and Oahu Publications said this afternoon in simultaneous announcements at both newspapers.

The "asset purchase agreement" means Oahu Publications acquire The Advertiser's Web site, nondaily publications and Gannett's interest in Hawaii.com. Gannett will maintain its ownership of 605 Kapiolani Blvd., which Gannett officials said will be offered for sale.

The Honolulu Advertiser was founded in 1856. Gannett purchased the paper in 1993. Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) is an international news and information company operating on multiple platforms including the Internet, mobile, newspapers, magazines and TV stations. Gannett is an Internet leader with hundreds of newspaper and TV Web sites; CareerBuilder.com, the nation's top employment site; USATODAY.com; and more than 80 local MomsLikeMe.com sites. Gannett publishes 83 daily U.S. newspapers, including USA Today, the nation's largest-selling daily newspaper, and more than 650 magazines and other nondailies including USA Weekend. Gannett also operates 23 television stations in 19 U.S. markets. Gannett subsidiary Newsquest is the United Kingdom's second largest regional newspaper company with 17 daily paid-for titles, more than 200 weekly newspapers, magazines and trade publications, and a network of Web sites.

OPI is a private company that owns and publishes the Star-Bulletin daily newspaper, Midweek and other weekly newspapers and magazines. OPI also manages Internet sites and is engaged in commercial printing. The company was established in 2001. Its majority shareholder is Sound Publishing Holding Inc., a subsidiary of Black Press Ltd. Local shareholders include Jeffrey and Lynn Watanabe, Duane Kurisu, Larry and Claire Johnson, Island Holdings Inc., Daniel Case, and CS Wo and Sons Ltd

Read more: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20100225/BREAKING01/100225069/1352

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Holy Moses!

Still reeling...the writers who we have come to feel are a part of our families in a sense, the last days of Honolulu as a 2-paper town; the loss is kind of staggering. Heartfelt aloha to the workers and their families. Wow-

wow.

[Rabrrrrrr]

1. Considering that they are both conglomerates of other papers,

and that, really, for quite a long while there's been quite the close relationship between them...

still, it's too bad. It's a dangerous thing for a society to have media monopolies.

I always preferred the Advertiser, so this is especially sad.

[mahina]

2. They were always completely separate in content and editorials. They did have a joint

operating agreement that was actually very beneficial for advertisers for years and years. I wouldn't say they had a close relationship in any substantive way other than geographically, and even that ended a long time ago.

During the lead up to the war in Iraq, the Star Bulletin was more objective, if only slightly...neither actually reported the largest protest in the history of the world on February 15 2003. The Advertiser has a small photo of Jesse Jackson with a nutty looking person and a one line caption, more or less. Shocking how little reporting was done, and how manipulative and propagandistic it was. I called both papers and got the full on "ya ya ya. "

Spooky as hell, and that was with two of them.

[Drunken Irishman]

3. Sounds like Utah's two largest (Salt Lake Tribune & Desert News).

Both are extremely different in terms of content, yet operate under the same agreements and even print and distribute out of the same building.

Different owners, of course. The Tribune is owned by MediaNews (they own a bunch of smaller papers across the country - the Salt Lake Trib and Denver Post are their largest papers) and the DesNews is owned by the LDS Church.

[mahina]

4. Yes, that does sound like a similar agreement.

If you advertised with them in the past, you got a great deal because the ad ran in both papers. They shared a building that was perfect for the use. Even a few hours ago if you asked ten people on the street who would have been more likely to buy whom, I'd bet we'd have thought it would go the other way around.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

6. Not that long ago the SB was on the rocks...this is an amazing turn around

I always thought the Advertiser was a better paper in terms of coverage and local events and the SB had the better website.

[keopeli]

5. Interesting: the Advertiser has always been more conservative than the StarBulletin imho

In 2000, the Star Bulletin almost went under. A group of local wealthy folk formed a company and bought the paper to keep a two-paper town. It's ironic that ten years later, they are buying out their competition.

However, if one has to die, I'm happier to see it work this way. In Seattle, the P-I folded, which was the more liberal paper, and the corporate-happy Seattle Times is now the only newspaper.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

7. Wasn't it the SB that did the Broken Trust series about Kam school and the trustees?

I thought they would be run out of business for that alone.