BlueLine Media Holdings Will Buy 2 Newspapers in Northern Wisconsin
DAVENPORT, Iowa, Sep 27, 2006 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Lee Enterprises, Incorporated (NYSE:LEE), announced plans today to sell its smallest stand-alone daily newspaper, The Daily News in Rhinelander, Wis., to BlueLine Media Holdings LLC of Neenah, Wis. At the same time, Madison Newspapers, Inc., which is jointly owned by Lee and The Capital Times Co., announced plans to sell the Shawano Leader, another stand-alone daily newspaper in northern Wisconsin, as well as its substantial commercial printing operations, to BlueLine.
Lee had previously announced intentions to sell the Rhinelander newspaper, which was part of Lee's acquisition of Pulitzer Inc. in 2005. It has circulation of 3,800 daily and 4,000 Sunday. The business includes an integrated online site, www.rhinelanderdailynews.com; a weekly newspaper, The Forest Republican, in Crandon, and two specialty publications.
The Shawano Leader, www.shawanoleader.com, has circulation of 6,500 daily and 7,200 Sunday. It includes two weekly advertising publications, in addition to the commercial printing operations.
The asset transactions are expected to be completed in early October. The purchase price for the Rhinelander publications is about $2.2 million. The purchase price for the Shawano operations was not disclosed.
"We are very excited to acquire these publications," said Paul Seveska, CEO of BlueLine Media Holdings. "We respect the history and legacy of these community newspapers and are committed to strengthening the integral role they play in their markets. We look forward to serving residents, readers and advertisers in both Shawano and Rhinelander."
In addition to the Shawano Leader, Madison Newspapers, Inc., operates five daily newspapers in central Wisconsin. They are the Wisconsin State Journal and The Capital Times in Madison (www.madison.com), the Daily Citizen in Beaver Dam, the Portage Daily Register and the Baraboo News Republic.
Lee Enterprises is a premier publisher of local news, information and advertising in primarily midsize markets. In addition to its joint interest in Madison Newspapers, Lee owns 52 daily newspapers with rapidly growing online sites and more than 300 weekly and specialty publications in 23 states. Lee's other daily newspapers in Wisconsin are located in Chippewa Falls, La Crosse and Racine. Lee is based in Davenport, Iowa, and its stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol LEE. For more information about Lee Enterprises, please visit www.lee.net.
SOURCE: Lee Enterprises, Incorporated
Lee Enterprises, Davenport
Dan Hayes, 563-383-2100
dan.hayes@lee.net
or
BlueLine Media Holdings
Paul Seveska, 920-205-6594
paulpsev@aol.com