The publisher of monthly magazine-style newspapers, one of which is focused on the Newtown area, recently was sold to an Arizona media company.
Falls Township-based Times Publishing Newspapers Inc. has been sold to O’Rourke Media Group, of Gilbert, Arizona, the companies announced recently. The financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
The Times Publishing Newspapers’ portfolio includes several publications, including the Doylestown Observer, Fairless Focus, Langhorne Ledger, Morrisville Times, Newtown Gazette, Northampton Herald, New Hope News, Lower Southampton Spirit, Warwick Journal, and the Yardley Voice.
The publications are distributed to households within their respective communities through the U.S. Postal Service 11 times each year.
The publications tout themselves as focusing on the “good news that’s fit to print.”
Jim O’Rourke, CEO and owner of O’Rourke Media Group, expressed enthusiasm about the acquisition.
“We’re thankful for the opportunity to acquire and continue to run this group,” he said.
Donna Allen, who founded Times Publishing Newspapers 29 years ago with her husband and editor, Mark Allen, reflected on the journey.
“It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve along with my husband and editor, Mark Allen,” she said. “We are so happy to have found Jim O’Rourke because he has proven that he’s able to successfully acquire, strengthen, and continue publishing into the future. We expect great things to come.”
The acquisition is part of an expansion for O’Rourke Media Group on the East Coast.
The company currently operates several local newspapers and digital platforms in Delaware, Virginia, and Vermont.
O’Rourke Media Group plans to maintain the existing staff and continue operations from the current Falls Township office.
The move is part of a broader strategy to expand the business model across the Philadelphia region in the coming years, according to a statement from the company.
According to Editor and Publisher, a news industry trade publication, O’Rourke Media Group began in 2018 and has more than 30 publications.
