Newspaper trade groups engaged in merger talks

Press Release

For immediate release

March 13, 2008

Contact: Morley Piper, NENA, 978-744-8940

Brenda Reed, NEPA, 617-373-5610

Newspaper trade groups engaged in merger talks.

The two leading trade associations for newspapers in New England have begun discussions of the desirability and feasibility of merging to form a single organization to serve newspapers throughout the six-state region.

The directors of the New England Newspaper Association (NENA) and the New England Press Association (NEPA) at their respective board meetings in late 2007 voted to create a joint steering committee with representatives from each board.

Meeting in February, the steering committee appointed Patrice Foster, Foster’s Daily Democrat, as its chairperson and David Solomon, Telegraph Publishing Co., as its vice chairperson.

The committee also includes: NENA representatives Tom Brown, Newspapers of New England; William F. Lucey III, The Newport (R.I.) Daily News; and Robert H. Laska, Connecticut Post, Bridgeport, Conn.

Representing NEPA are Marlene Switzer, CNC North Division; Lynn Delaney, The Milton (VT.) Independent; Mary Pat Rowland, Foster’s Daily Democrat; and the executive directors of each organization.

In addition, the group approved a subcommittee structure designed to evaluate opportunities and assess roadblocks in specific areas, including group advertising sales, member services, administration, and publications/technology. The timetable set by the steering committee calls for quarterly subcommittee meetings throughout 2008.

“Board members for both groups believe consolidation into one organization may eliminate duplication and provide greater efficiencies for the members,” according to Solomon.

Foster agreed. “We feel that a single group may make better use of limited resources and has the potential to return more services to its member newspapers,” she said.

“We are keenly interested in any input or opinions from the working newspaper men and women of New England about this proposed merger,” said Foster and Solomon, “from possible names to services.” They urged anyone with opinions or recommendations to contact either NENA Executive Director Morley Piper at mlp@nenews.org; or NEPA Executive Director Brenda Reed at b.reed@nepa.org.

Background – NENA and NEPA

Headquartered in Salem, Mass., NENA was founded in 1981, the result of a merger between the New England Daily Newspaper Association and the New England Newspapers Advertising Bureau. Today NENA has 75 daily and 235 weekly newspaper members and three who publish twice monthly.

Headquartered on the campus of Northeastern University in Boston, Mass., NEPA was founded in 1950 and today has 59 daily and 432 weekly newspaper members, as well as 42 members who publish bi-monthly or monthly publications.

In its earlier years, NEPA was primarily a weekly newspaper organization with programming aimed largely at the staff level; while NENA was primarily an organization for daily newspapers with programming aimed largely at management. In the past two decades, however, both organizations have expanded services and programming into overlapping areas.

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