La Palma to Cease Publishing

Palm Beach Newspapers announced that it will discontinue La Palma, its Hispanic newspaper, effective July 16, 2010.  Both the print and online version of the publication will cease to exist.

La Palma is a free weekly Spanish publication that was launched in February, 2004.  Palm Beach Newspapers is owned by Cox Media Group, a division of Cox Enterprises.

Cox Enterprises to Sell North Carolina Newspapers to Cooke Communications, LLC

ATLANTA, July 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Cox Enterprises, Inc. announced today it has reached a definitive agreement to sell three of its North Carolina newspapers - The Daily Reflector (Greenville), Rocky Mount Telegram and The Daily Advance (Elizabeth City) - and ten weekly newspapers in eastern North Carolina to Cooke Communications, LLC, a privately-held family company headed by John Kent Cooke. The transaction is expected to close in the upcoming weeks.

The weekly publications include the Beaufort-Hyde News (Bellhaven), Bertie-Ledger Advance (Windsor), The Chowan Herald (Edenton), Duplin Times (Kenansville), The Enterprise (Williamston), Farmville Enterprise, Perquimans Weekly (Elizabeth City), Standard Laconic (Snow Hill), Times-Leader (Ayden-Grifton) and Weekly Herald (Robersonville).

As announced in 2008, Cox Enterprises continues to market for sale its newspapers in Texas.

Cox to sell off several newspapers, Val Pak operations

Cox Enterprises Inc. announced Wednesday it plans to sell several newspapers throughout the chain, as well as its direct mail advertising service, Val Pak, to pay down debt.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the company's largest daily newspaper, is not among the papers to be sold.

The largest newspaper for sale is the Austin (Tex.) American-Stateman and affiliated operations, including its Austin360.com Web site. Other papers slated to be sold by Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises are community publications in North Carolina, Texas and Colorado.

Cox Enterprises also will retain major dailies The Palm Beach Post, Dayton Daily News and publications affiliated with each.

Cox papers, including the AJC and the Palm Beach Post, have gone through series of job buyouts and layoffs over the past several years as profits have fallen. Palm Beach announced it would cut 130 jobs from its 300-member newsroom and the AJC announced a restructuring designed to cut 8 percent of its workforce, or more than 150 jobs through buyouts and other voluntary and involuntary measures.

Lufkin Daily News and Nacogdoches Daily Sentinel Sold

Cox Enterprises Inc. will sell The Lufkin Daily News and The Daily Sentinel in Nacogdoches, Texas, to Houston-based Southern Newspapers Inc. (source)

Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises did not disclose financial terms, but said the deal should close on May 31.

Cox Enterprises’ other newspapers in Texas and all of Cox’s stand-alone community newspapers in North Carolina and Colorado are still up for sale. Cox Enterprises hired Citigroup and Dirks, Van Essen & Murray to market those papers.

“Cox Enterprises greatly values the contributions that the employees of The Lufkin Daily News and The Daily Sentinel have made to our company,” said Doug Franklin, executive vice president of Cox Newspapers, in a press release. “These local institutions are important to their communities, and we are confident that Southern Newspapers will continue the tradition these newspapers have of providing timely, valuable and trustworthy news and information to their readers.”

MailSouth Acquires Saving Source Direct (SSD)

Cox Enterprises to Sell Saving Source Direct to MailSouth (Press Release)

ATLANTA (May 19, 2009) – Cox Enterprises, Inc. announced today it has reached a definitive agreement to sell Tarboro, N.C.-based Saving Source Direct to MailSouth, headquartered in Helena, Ala. The transaction is expected to close May 26, 2009.

“Cox Enterprises greatly values the contributions that the employees of Saving Source Direct have made to our company,” said Doug Franklin, executive vice president, Cox Newspapers. “More than ever, consumers rely on value-oriented content. MailSouth has twenty years of success and distributes direct mail packages to 17 million households in 26 states.”

Saving Source Direct, formerly known as PAGAS Mailing Services, is the local source for valueoriented content and coupons in more than 100 markets throughout North Carolina. Top markets include Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Wilmington, Asheville, Greenville, Goldsboro, Rocky Mount and Elizabeth City. Each month Saving Source Direct reaches more than three million homes. The company also provides solo mailing services for targeted demographics and customer lists. Prior to the expected sale, Saving Source Direct was managed as part of Cox North Carolina Newspapers, a publishing unit of Cox Media Group, Inc.

Said MailSouth’s CEO Albert Braunfisch, “We’ve enjoyed a long partnership with Saving Source Direct, and for several years, we’ve worked together to the benefit of many shared clients. The addition of the terrific markets they have built throughout North Carolina will push our advertising program over 20 million rural and suburban households, so we’re excited about this opportunity.”

As announced in 2008, Cox Enterprises’ newspapers in Texas, North Carolina and Colorado continue to be marketed for sale. Citigroup has been retained to assist Cox Enterprises with the marketing of these assets.