Ogden Newspapers soon will own an Ogden newspaper.
Ogden Newspapers, a family-owned newspaper company based in West Virginia, will acquire the Standard-Examiner, an Ogden-based daily newspaper, from Ohio-based Sandusky Newspaper Group, which has owned the newspaper since 1993.
The sale, expected to close in late May, includes the Standard-Examiner; the standard.net website; and the newspaper’s office complex, printing plant and related real estate at Business Depot Ogden. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Ogden Newspapers was founded by H.C. Ogden in 1890 when he began publishing Wheeling News in West Virginia. The company publishes 45 daily newspapers in 15 states, including the The Daily Herald in Provo and The Pyramid in Mount Pleasant.
The company also has weekly newspapers, niche publications and printing operations across the country and a magazine group that includes Mother Earth News. The Nutting family also owns Seven Springs Mountain Resort and Hidden Valley Resort in Pennsylvania and is the majority owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball franchise.
“My family is extremely proud to be chosen as the successor publisher of the Standard-Examiner by the Sandusky Newspaper Group and the Rau and White family,” Robert Nutting, chief executive officer of Ogden Newspapers, said.
"We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to inherit the legacy of their impressive work, and we look forward to publishing a great community-focused newspaper and running a vital media platform to serve a city and region as dynamic as Ogden and northern Utah.”
David Rau, CEO of Sandusky Newspapers, said the Standard-Examiner will be in the hands of another family that has “demonstrated a record of editorial independence and local emphasis, and have a long-standing commitment to quality community journalism. We know they will be good stewards in the rapidly changing media world.”
“Sandusky and Ogden Newspapers came to understand both operations at Ogden and Provo would have a stronger future if they were united under one company,” Rau said. “Common ownership makes good sense and will bolster not only the printed editions, but also the many mobile and online digital products we offer.”
“Working together particularly with the Provo Daily Herald,” Nutting said, “the Standard-Examiner will be part of a much larger Utah-focused news gathering organization which will present an even stronger news report for all of our readers.”
Ogden Newspapers said it has been “very active” in acquiring newspapers.
“We continue to believe very strongly in the power of printed newspapers,” Nutting said. “We believe in their value to readers, advertisers and communities. We believe in the role of newspapers like the Standard-Examiner and credible online media outlets such as standard.net as fundamental to communities now more than ever.
“When you combine the print newspaper readership and its growing online readership with the range of targeted niche publications, the Standard-Examiner serves more readers and advertisers in northern Utah than any other media outlet. The Standard-Examiner will continue to be the vital connection to the communities it serves, and it will deliver important value to its readers and advertisers.”
Sandusky has been in the publishing and media business since 1869. It owns six dailies, six weeklies and various digital businesses.