SAMPLE NEWS GROUP TO ACQUIRE EAGLE NEWS GROUP OF SUBURBAN SYRACUSE
 

SYRACUSE N.Y. – Sample News Group, publisher of over 75 titles in 4 states, has acquired the assets of Eagle News from Community Media Group, LLC.

The sale includes The Eagle Bulletin, The Baldwinsville Messenger, The Star-Review and The Press-Observer in Onondaga County, The Cazenovia Republican in Madison County, Syracuse Woman Magazine and several digital properties including eaglenewsonline.com.

The announcement was made on Thursday July 10, by George “Scoop” Sample, owner of Sample News Group. 

“Eagle News has a strong presence in the greater Syracuse area,” said Sample. “They provide their communities with exceptional local journalism. This was a natural fit for our Central New York operations, and we are proud to have them join our group.”

David Tyler, newspaper publisher with Eagle News in Syracuse, will continue to serve as publisher of the group. 

"This sale represents the beginning of a new era for Eagle News' historic publications. Despite the headwinds our industry faces, joining a group like Sample Media will allow us to bolster the content our readers enjoy by taking advantage of the experience and scale of a larger, more established operation,” Tyler said. “I'm also excited to partner with the teams at the Oswego Palladium-Times and the Cortland Standard as we continue to develop and strengthen our Central New York news brand in a way that serves both news consumers and advertisers throughout our four-county footprint."

Brian Nalepa, President of Sample News Group, will coordinate the integration of the Eagle News into the Sample News Group family, adding the publications to the company’s nine media properties in New York state. 

“We are looking forward to having David and his team at Eagle News be a part of our Central New York operations” Nalepa said. “Having partnered with this group over the past couple of years on several different initiatives, they exemplify true professionalism and a commitment to their communities. This is a mutually beneficial arrangement”. 

Sample News Group officially takes ownership of the newspapers on July 14.

In New York, Sample News Group currently operates The Palladium Times (Oswego), The Valley News (Fulton), The Oswego Shopper, The Oswego County News, The Livingston County News, The Daily News (Batavia), the Cortland Standard, the Pennysaver (Owego), and the Bee Group (Williamsville). Sample News Group is a privately held publishing company based in Huntingdon, Pa., with 19 daily newspapers and more than 38 weeklies and specialty magazines. The company owns and operates 30 local websites and six centralized production facilities, in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Vermont. For more information, please visit samplenewsgroup.com.

The modern history of Eagle News began in 1992 when Brown Newspapers and Manlius Publishing merged to form Eagle Media LP. A few years later, Eagle expanded beyond the Syracuse market, acquiring the Spotlight Newspapers in the Albany market. In 2009, three newspaper publishers, David Tyler in Syracuse, John McIntyre in Albany and Dan Alexander of Denton Publications in the Adirondacks joined forces under the name Community Media Group LLC and purchased the assets of Eagle Media LP, to include all the titles in the Syracuse market. 

ABOUT THE PUBLICATIONS

The Eagle Bulletin, dating to 1887, serves the eastern suburbs of Syracuse, including the towns of Manlius and DeWitt and the villages of Fayetteville, Manlius, Minoa and East Syracuse.

The Baldwinsville Messenger, with roots to 1847, serves the Baldwinsville community including the towns of Van Buren and Lysander.

The Star-Review, formerly the North Syracuse Star-News and the Liverpool-Salina Review, serves the northern suburbs of Syracuse to include the communities of Liverpool and North Syracuse and the towns of Salina, Clay and Cicero. The predecessors of the Star-Review date to 1893.

The Press-Observer serves western Onondaga County, including the communities of Skaneateles, Marcellus, Jordan, Elbridge and Camillus. The Skaneateles Press, one of the predecessors to the current edition, was originally founded in 1830.

The Cazenovia Republican, the oldest continuously operating business in Madison County, originated in 1808, and has proudly served the Cazenovia community, including the village of Cazenovia and the towns of Cazenovia, Fenner and Nelson, ever since.

Syracuse Woman Magazine launched in 2011, and it has since evolved into one of the strongest print media brands in the market. The area's only women's magazine, each edition features articles on health, fashion, fitness, dining and lifestyle and shines a spotlight on local Syracuse women. The magazine is distributed monthly at locations throughout the greater Syracuse area, including all Wegmans and Tops grocery stores.

For questions or more information, contact David Tyler at dtyler@eaglenewsonline.com.