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Wick Communications
Company typePrivate
IndustryNewspapers
FoundedJuly 30, 1984 (1984-07-30)[1]
HeadquartersSierra Vista, Arizona, U.S.
Key people
Milton I. Wick, Founder
Francis Wick, President and CEO
Mike Rand, CFO
Ron Pranger, Controller
Sean Fitzpatrick, Digital Director
Dan Shearer, Editorial Director[2][3]
Number of employees
400+[4][5]
Websitewickcommunications.com

Wick Communications (formerly known as Wick Newspaper Group)[2] is a family-owned media company with 18 newspapers in 10 states.[6] They also publish websites and other specialty publications. The home offices are in Sierra Vista, Arizona, and it has newspapers in Arizona, Louisiana, Montana, Colorado, Alaska, California, North Dakota, South Dakota, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.[7]

History

The company originated in 1926 when brothers Milton I. Wick and his James L. Wick purchased the Niles Daily Times in Niles, Ohio.[8][9] Before the two covered international news together for several years. They were also some of the party of first U.S. reporters allowed inside the Soviet Union following the death of Joseph Stalin.[9] James Wick sold his interest in the company in 1965 to Milton I. Wick's sons, Walter M. Wick and Robert J. Wick.[10]

The Wick family purchased the Argus Observer in 1968,[11] Bisbee Review in 1974[12] and Green Valley News in 1978.[13]

Milton I. Wick died on November 30, 1981. His two sons Walter M. Wick and Robert J. Wick then officially took over running the company. At that time the family owned 40 newspapers.[9]

Wick purchased the Parker Pioneer in 1985,[14] the L'Observateur in 1986,[15] Richland County Leader in 1988,[16] Douglas Daily Dispatch in 1989;[17] The Daily Territorial, The Weekly Territorial and Ore Valley Territorial in 1990,[18] Tucson Weekly in 2000;[19] Anchorage Press and Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman in 2006.[20]

In 2016, Robert J. Wick's son Francis Wick was named CEO of Wick Communications.[10] That same year Walter M. Wick died of pancreatic cancer.[21]

In January 2018, Wick sold The Daily Herald, a paper it had owned since 1948, to Paxton Media Group.[22] Wick also sold the Half Moon Bay Review in May 2018.[23] The company purchased The Wenatchee World in March 2018[24] Acadiana LifeStyle in July 2018[25] and Delta County Independent in Colorado in May 2019.[26] The company closed the Independent-Enterprise of Payette, Idaho in 2020.[11] Wick purchased the Madison Daily Leader in South Dakota in March 2021.[27] Robert J. Wick died in 2022.[28]

In September 2023, Wick bought the Arizona Daily Sun from Lee Enterprises.[29] In April 2024, Wick Communications sold The Daily Iberian and Acadian LifeStyle to Carpenter Media Group.[30] In August 2024, Francis Wick announced he will stepped down as CEO.[6]

Newspapers

State City Newspaper
Alaska Wasilla Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman
Anchorage Anchorage Press
Arizona Flagstaff Arizona Daily Sun
Willcox Arizona Range News
Bisbee Bisbee Review
Sonoita The Weekly Bulletin
Clifton Copper Era
Douglas Douglas Dispatch
Safford Eastern Arizona Courier
Green Valley Green Valley News & Sun
Nogales Nogales International
Parker Parker Pioneer (50%)
Benson San Pedro Valley News-Sun
Sahuarita Sahuarita Sun
Sierra Vista Herald Review Media
Tucson The Daily Territorial
Lake Havasu City Today's News Herald (50%)
Colorado Delta Delta County Independent
Montrose Montrose Daily Press
Idaho Payette Independent-Enterprise
Montana Sidney Sidney Herald
Minnesota Fergus Falls The Daily Journal
North Dakota Hankinson Richland County News-Monitor
Wahpeton Wahpeton Daily News
Williston Williston Herald
Oregon Ontario Argus Observer
South Dakota Pierre Capital Journal
Madison Madison Daily Leader
Washington Wenatchee The Wenatchee World

River City Newspapers

River City Newspapers, LLC is a joint venture between Wick Communications and Western News & Info. It was established in August 1995 to manage the Today's News-Herald, a newspaper based in Lake Havasu City, Arizona formed from the merger of Wick's Daily Herald and Western's Today's Daily News.[31] Wick also transferred ownership of the Parker Pioneer over to River City.[32]

In 2022, River City purchased the Mohave Valley Daily News, Wickenburg Sun, Laughlin Times and Needles Desert Star from Brehm Communications. Also, River City acquired the Kingman Miner and the Central Printing Facility in Golden Valley from Western News&Info.[33]

Arizona Newspapers Hall of Fame

Milton I. Wick was inducted posthumously into the Arizona Newspapers Hall of Fame in 1996,[34] and Walt M. Wick and Robert J. Wick were also inducted in September 2004.[34]

References

  1. ^ "Ariz. Corp. Comm. – Corporations Division". Retrieved August 16, 2010.
  2. ^ a b "Wick Communications Co.:Private Company Information". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on October 5, 2012. Retrieved August 16, 2010.
  3. ^ "Company Management". Wick Communications Co. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  4. ^ "Wick Communications Company Profile". LinkedIn. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  5. ^ "Board of Directors". Wick Communications Co. Retrieved August 16, 2010.
  6. ^ a b Dudley, Brier (August 9, 2024). "Q&A: Francis Wick on saving local news, NW journalism and more". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  7. ^ "Locations". Wick Communications Co. Retrieved August 16, 2010.
  8. ^ "Wick". NABUR. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  9. ^ a b c "Veteran publisher dies in Arizona". St. Joseph News-Press. December 1, 1981. p. 6.
  10. ^ a b "Francis Wick named CEO of Wick Communications". Williston Herald. February 9, 2016. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Caldwell, Pat (February 2, 2024). "Ontario newspaper announces slash in publication days, switch to mail delivery". Malheur Enterprise. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  12. ^ "Bisbee sale of weekly is announced". The Arizona Republic. November 9, 1974. p. 37.
  13. ^ "Wick Newspaper Group buys Green Valley News". Arizona Daily Star. November 26, 1978. p. 34.
  14. ^ "Wick buys newspaper". Tucson Citizen. January 10, 1985. p. 29.
  15. ^ "LaPlace Weekly Sold to Chain". The Daily Review. April 7, 1986. p. 5.
  16. ^ "5-year Sidney press war ends as newspapers merge". The Billings Gazette. February 14, 1988. p. 33.
  17. ^ "Owner of 2 Cochise County dailies to buy Douglas Dispatch on Nov. 1". Arizona Daily Star. October 21, 1989. p. 22.
  18. ^ Ducote, Richard (May 9, 1990). "3 Territorial papers sold to Wick Co". Arizona Daily Star. p. 40.
  19. ^ Fischer, Alan D. (March 3, 2000). "Sierra Vista's Wick chain buys Tucson Weekly". Arizona Daily Star. p. 35.
  20. ^ Richtmyer, Richard (August 3, 2006). "Arizona publisher buys Anchorage press owner". Anchorage Daily News. p. 47.
  21. ^ Smith, Dylan (December 28, 2016). "Former SV Herald publisher Walter Wick dies at 85 | Obituary". Tucson Sentinel. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  22. ^ "Paxton Media Group purchases The Daily Herald". The Daily Herald. January 31, 2018. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  23. ^ Mascarenhas, Natasha (June 5, 2018). "Half Moon Bay Review bought by community members". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
  24. ^ Romano, Benjamin (March 29, 2018). "Woods family sells Wenatchee World to Wick Communications". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  25. ^ Partsch III, Raymond (July 5, 2018). "Wick buys Acadiana LifeStyle". The Daily Iberian. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  26. ^ "Wick Communications Acquires the Delta County (CO) Independent". Dirks, Van Essen & April. May 1, 2019. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  27. ^ "Hunter Publishing of Madison, South Dakota Joins Wick Communications". Dirks, Van Essen & April. March 2, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  28. ^ "Robert Wick, champion of art, newspapers and community, dies at 86". Navajo-Hopi Observer. January 18, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  29. ^ "Wick Communications to acquire Flagstaff's Arizona Daily Sun". Editor and Publisher. September 6, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  30. ^ "Carpenter Media Group to acquire The Daily Iberian". Editor & Publisher. April 18, 2024. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  31. ^ "Lake Havasu papers merging". The Arizona Republic. August 24, 1995. p. 65.
  32. ^ Travis, Joan M. (August 14, 2013). "Facing East: Pioneer to Celebrate 60 Years". Parker Pioneer. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  33. ^ "WNI, Wick expand newspaper locations; acquire Brehm holdings". Navajo-Hopi Observer. September 21, 2022. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  34. ^ a b "THE HISTORY OF SERVICE". Wick Communications. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
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