Wick Communications
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Newspapers |
| Founded | July 30, 1984[1] |
| Headquarters | Sierra 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] |
| Website | wickcommunications |
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]
The Wick family purchased The Daily Herald in 1948,[10] Williston Herald in 1961,[11] Sidney Herald in 1962,[12] the Argus Observer in 1968,[13] Bisbee Review in 1974[14] and Green Valley News in 1978.[15]
James Wick sold his interest in the company in 1965 to his brother's sons Walter M. Wick and Robert J. Wick.[16] The two took full ownership of the company when their father Milton I. Wick died on November 30, 1981. At that time the family owned 40 newspapers.[9]
Wick purchased the Parker Pioneer in 1985,[17] the L'Observateur in 1986,[18] Richland County Leader in 1988,[19] Douglas Daily Dispatch in 1989;[20] The Daily Territorial, The Weekly Territorial and Ore Valley Territorial in 1990,[21] Montrose Daily Press in 1997,[22]Tucson Weekly in 2000;[23] Anchorage Press and Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman in 2006.[24]
In 2016, Robert J. Wick's son Francis Wick was named CEO of Wick Communications.[16] That same year Walter M. Wick died of pancreatic cancer.[25]
In 2014, Wick sold the Tucson Weekly to 10/13 Communications.[26] In January 2018, Wick sold The Daily Herald to Paxton Media Group.[10] Wick also sold the Half Moon Bay Review in May 2018.[27] The company purchased The Wenatchee World in March 2018[28] Acadiana LifeStyle in July 2018[29] and Delta County Independent in Colorado in May 2019.[30] The company closed the Independent-Enterprise of Payette, Idaho in 2020.[13] Wick purchased the Madison Daily Leader in South Dakota in March 2021.[31] Robert J. Wick died in 2022.[32]
In September 2023, Wick bought the Arizona Daily Sun from Lee Enterprises.[33] In April 2024, Wick Communications sold The Daily Iberian and Acadian LifeStyle to Carpenter Media Group.[34] In August 2024, Francis Wick announced he will stepped down as CEO.[6]
Newspapers
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.[35] Wick also transferred ownership of the Parker Pioneer over to River City.[36]
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.[37]
Arizona Newspapers Hall of Fame
Milton I. Wick was inducted posthumously into the Arizona Newspapers Hall of Fame in 1996,[38] and Walt M. Wick and Robert J. Wick were also inducted in September 2004.[38]
References
- ^ "Ariz. Corp. Comm. – Corporations Division". Retrieved August 16, 2010.
- ^ a b "Wick Communications Co.:Private Company Information". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on October 5, 2012. Retrieved August 16, 2010.
- ^ "Company Management". Wick Communications Co. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
- ^ "Wick Communications Company Profile". LinkedIn. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
- ^ "Board of Directors". Wick Communications Co. Retrieved August 16, 2010.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Locations". Wick Communications Co. Retrieved August 16, 2010.
- ^ "Wick". NABUR. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Veteran publisher dies in Arizona". St. Joseph News-Press. December 1, 1981. p. 6.
- ^ a b "Paxton Media Group purchases The Daily Herald". The Daily Herald. January 31, 2018. Archived from the original on May 16, 2018. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ "Business Notes: Handles Sales". The News and Observer. August 25, 1961. p. 31.
- ^ "Porton of Sidney Herald Stock Changes Hands". The Sidney Herald. April 18, 1962. p. 1.
- ^ a b Caldwell, Pat (February 2, 2024). "Ontario newspaper announces slash in publication days, switch to mail delivery". Malheur Enterprise. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
- ^ "Bisbee sale of weekly is announced". The Arizona Republic. November 9, 1974. p. 37.
- ^ "Wick Newspaper Group buys Green Valley News". Arizona Daily Star. November 26, 1978. p. 34.
- ^ a b "Francis Wick named CEO of Wick Communications". Williston Herald. February 9, 2016. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
- ^ "Wick buys newspaper". Tucson Citizen. January 10, 1985. p. 29.
- ^ "LaPlace Weekly Sold to Chain". The Daily Review. April 7, 1986. p. 5.
- ^ "5-year Sidney press war ends as newspapers merge". The Billings Gazette. February 14, 1988. p. 33.
- ^ "Owner of 2 Cochise County dailies to buy Douglas Dispatch on Nov. 1". Arizona Daily Star. October 21, 1989. p. 22.
- ^ Ducote, Richard (May 9, 1990). "3 Territorial papers sold to Wick Co". Arizona Daily Star. p. 40.
- ^ "Wick Communications acquires Colorado paper". Arizona Daily Star. February 17, 1997. p. 52.
- ^ Fischer, Alan D. (March 3, 2000). "Sierra Vista's Wick chain buys Tucson Weekly". Arizona Daily Star. p. 35.
- ^ Richtmyer, Richard (August 3, 2006). "Arizona publisher buys Anchorage press owner". Anchorage Daily News. p. 47.
- ^ Smith, Dylan (December 28, 2016). "Former SV Herald publisher Walter Wick dies at 85 | Obituary". Tucson Sentinel. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
- ^ Smith, Dylan (April 18, 2014). "Sold! Weekly, Inside Tucson Business change hands". Tucson Sentinel. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
- ^ Mascarenhas, Natasha (June 5, 2018). "Half Moon Bay Review bought by community members". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
- ^ Romano, Benjamin (March 29, 2018). "Woods family sells Wenatchee World to Wick Communications". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
- ^ Partsch III, Raymond (July 5, 2018). "Wick buys Acadiana LifeStyle". The Daily Iberian. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
- ^ "Wick Communications Acquires the Delta County (CO) Independent". Dirks, Van Essen & April. May 1, 2019. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
- ^ "Hunter Publishing of Madison, South Dakota Joins Wick Communications". Dirks, Van Essen & April. March 2, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
- ^ "Robert Wick, champion of art, newspapers and community, dies at 86". Navajo-Hopi Observer. January 18, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
- ^ "Wick Communications to acquire Flagstaff's Arizona Daily Sun". Editor and Publisher. September 6, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
- ^ "Carpenter Media Group to acquire The Daily Iberian". Editor & Publisher. April 18, 2024. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
- ^ "Lake Havasu papers merging". The Arizona Republic. August 24, 1995. p. 65.
- ^ Travis, Joan M. (August 14, 2013). "Facing East: Pioneer to Celebrate 60 Years". Parker Pioneer. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
- ^ "WNI, Wick expand newspaper locations; acquire Brehm holdings". Navajo-Hopi Observer. September 21, 2022. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
- ^ a b "THE HISTORY OF SERVICE". Wick Communications. Retrieved October 4, 2024.