Publishing company acquires newspaper

Publishing company acquires newspaper

Courtesy The Daily News/Brandon Schreur

A publishing group on the state’s east side has acquired a newspaper in the area.

Rick Burrough, owner of Lapeer-based View Newspaper Group, said today his company signed an agreement to acquire The Daily News in Greenville from siblings Rob Stafford and Julie Stafford. The newspaper has been under Stafford family ownership since 1951.

Terms of the deal, which is expected to close June 3, were not disclosed.

Burrough is also acquiring Greenville-based Stafford Printing from the Stafford family via his other company, Michigan Web Press.

“We are excited to grow both our newspaper company and our printing company with the addition of The Daily News and Stafford Printing,” Burrough said.

“The Stafford family is well-known and respected in the newspaper publishing and printing business. We are pleased to welcome the Daily News into our family of papers and happy to report that Julie Stafford has agreed to stay on as publisher in Greenville. Retaining Julie was a key element of this deal coming together.”

Rob Stafford, who joined the company in 1990, will leave to pursue other interests.

Julie Stafford will hold the title of regional publisher. She will report to Wes Smith, publisher, View Newspaper Group, and to Burrough.

Smith said View Newspaper Group plans to retain The Daily News’ staff of about 20 employees.

The acquisition includes the real estate for the Greenville newspaper office at 109 N. Lafayette St., where it will continue to operate, Burrough said.

The Daily News

Founded in 1854, The Daily News has a circulation of about 4,500 and is published six days a week. The paper covers more than 1,000 square miles of Montcalm, Ionia and parts of Kent counties.

It recently earned first place for general excellence for the second year in a row in the 2018 Michigan Associated Press Media Editors newspaper competition.

The Daily News also publishes The Gazette, a free weekly newspaper that covers much of the eastern part of Montcalm County, including Carson City, Crystal and Hubbardston, and is direct mailed to about 5,200 homes every Saturday.

View Newspaper Group

Founded in 2003 by Rick Burrough, View Newspaper Group will now include 19 community newspapers and more than 115 employees, covering Lapeer, Sanilac, Huron, Saginaw, Shiawassee, Genesee, Oakland, Livingston, Montcalm and Ionia counties.

The Daily News will be the group’s first daily newspaper.