GateHouse Media, LLC bought the Herald-Times newspaper and all other Hoosier Times group newspapers, which were owned by Schurz Communications, Inc. since 1966. GateHouse will take over operations Feb. 1.
Bob Zaltsberg, current editor of the Herald-Times, said the change in ownership will only affect employment in minimal ways and should not affect operations.
Scott C. Schurz, chairman of the board of Schurz Communications, Larry Hensley, general manager of the Herald Times and Zaltsberg met Monday morning to discuss why Schurz Communications was selling.
“The indications were that it is difficult for a small, family-owned newspaper group to succeed and be profitable in this era of people merging,” Zaltsberg said. “GateHouse Media owns 555 newspapers, so this scale is a huge benefit for people in the newspaper business these days.”
Zaltsberg is leaving the Herald-Times Feb 1. He announced his decision in November, and it does not relate to change in the newspaper’s ownership. Zaltsberg has been editor for 33 years.
J.J. Perry will be the new editor of the Herald-Times starting Feb. 1. Perry worked at the Herald-Times for 13 years in several different positions and has been the executive director of the American News in South Dakota for the past eight years.
GateHouse Media bought 20 regional papers and other publications located in Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Pennsylvania and South Dakota during the first quarter of the year. Ten of these publications are a part of the Hoosier Times Group in Southern Indiana.
Schurz Communications is investing in IT services and broadband operations, which focuses on high-speed internet access, instead of media companies. The company currently owns four broadband companies and announced last year that it will be purchasing Online Tech, LLC.
GateHouse Media is headquartered in Pittsford, New York, and is one of the largest publishers of local print and online media in the U.S.
Editor's Note: The print edition of the Indiana Daily Student is printed at the Herald-Times press.
