Greeley (Colorado) Tribune sells to MediaNews Group

Apr 1, 2020

Swift Communications has reached an agreement to sell the Greeley (Colorado) Tribune to MediaNews Group (“MNG”), the owner and operator of one of the largest newspaper businesses in the U.S.

“With this change, the Greeley Tribune, its staff and the community will benefit from the many resources that MNG has in the region, as well as benefiting the long-term interests of both companies,” said Bill Waters, chairman and CEO, Swift Communications Inc.

The sale was effective March 1.

“The Greeley Tribune has an incredible history, and we look forward to supporting the publication with our team of seasoned newspaper executives,” said Al Manzi, president of Prairie Mountain Media, a division of MediaNews Group. “Our goals are simple: to run sustainable newspapers so they will be around to serve their local communities well into the future.”

MNG is one of the largest owners and operators of newspapers in the United States by circulation with approximately 200 publications, including The Denver Post, the Loveland Reporter-Herald, the Longmont Times-Call and the Boulder Daily Camera.

The sale does not include The Fence Post Company, which is an independent Swift Communications company that includes The Fence Post weekly agriculture newspaper based in Greeley, the Tri-State Livestock News weekly newspaper and Farmer-Rancher Exchange based in South Dakota, Acres USA (a magazine, event and book publishing company based in Greeley) and Countryside Publications with offices in Medford, Wisconsin.

Swift Communications’ Colorado newspapers include The Summit Daily News in Frisco; The Vail Daily in Vail; The Steamboat Springs Pilot & Today in Steamboat; The Aspen Times, The Glenwood Springs Post Independent and the Sky-Hi News in Granby. Swift also operates newspapers in Park City, Utah, and in Grass Valley, California, as well as commercial print operations in Gypsum, Colorado, and Carson City, Nevada.

Founded in 1870 by Nathan Meeker, the Greeley Tribune was purchased in 1977 by Swift Communications. The Greeley Tribune publishes four days a week, and its website, http://www.greeleytribune.com, serves over 400,000 unique visitors monthly.

Lon Williams of Media America Brokers in Atlanta represented Swift Communications in the sale.