March 28, 2024
Local News | Bureau County Republican


Local News

Shaw Media to buy LaSalle NewsTribune from Miller Group Media

LaSALLE – Shaw Media has agreed to acquire the NewsTribune and the Illinois and Indiana AgriNews weekly publications from Catherine Miller and Miller Group Media, company leaders announced Monday.

The sale is expected to close Sunday, Sept. 1. Terms were not disclosed.

The acquisition of the publications adds to Crystal Lake-based Shaw's network of daily and weekly newspapers and specialty publications, which cover 15 counties across northern Illinois, as well as part of Iowa.

The company's daily newspaper holdings include LaSalle County's other 5-day-a-week newspaper, The Times of Ottawa, as well as the Northwest Herald in Crystal Lake, The Herald-News in Joliet, Daily Chronicle in DeKalb, the Telegraph in Dixon and the Daily Gazette in Sterling.

"We are honored to be able to continue the legacy of the Miller family in the Illinois Valley," Shaw President and CEO John Rung said. "The NewsTribune has established a high bar of journalistic standards, and its print and digital assets are a perfect fit for Shaw Media."

The NewsTribune and its predecessor newspapers have served readers in the Illinois Valley since 1891. In 1946, Mr. and Mrs. Peter Miller, Jr., purchased the Peru News-Herald and later the LaSalle Post-Tribune, merging them into the Daily News-Tribune. The name of the paper was changed to NewsTribune in 1982. Joyce McCullough was named publisher of the paper in 2002, and became president of Miller Group Media in 2011. The NewsTribune is published daily Monday through Thursday, with a weekend edition on Saturday, and is online daily at newstrib.com.

The AgriNews publications began as a monthly supplement for NewsTribune readers in 1977. In 1980, the name was changed to Illinois Agri-News; it became a stand-alone publication and moved to weekly distribution. Indiana Agri-News was added in 1982. Illinois and Indiana Agri-News are distributed weekly to farm families throughout Illinois, Indiana and the entire Midwest. It also is published online at agrinews-pubs.com.

"The synergies and economies of scale that are gained by joining with others are vital for growth," McCullough said. "Shaw has a reputation for providing local news reported by local staff and for supporting the communities they serve. That gives Cathy and me comfort.”

The acquisition of the NewsTribune and AgriNews will bolster Shaw's strategy to offer more of its news reporting to its growing audience through its new regional brand, Shaw Media Illinois.

Shaw Media has been privately owned by the Shaw family since its founding in Dixon by B.F. Shaw in 1851. The company's media holdings include websites, newspapers, magazines, Pro Football Weekly, a video production unit and a digital marketing services division.