Boone affiliates acquire Kentucky and Tennessee newspapers

Affiliates of Boone Newspapers have purchased the Middlesboro (Ky.) Daily News and two neighboring newspapers from Civitas Media of Davidson, N.C.

Dirks, Van Essen & Murray, a media merger and acquisition firm based in Santa Fe, N.M., represented Civitas Media in the transaction.

Included in the transaction were the non-dailies Harlan (Ky.) Enterprise and Claiborne Progress in Tazewell, Tenn. The acquisition was made by newly formed entities owned by Carpenter Newsmedia LLC (CNL) and managed by Boone Newspapers Inc. (BNI).

CNL is an affiliate of BNI, with offices in Natchez, Miss., and Tuscaloosa, Ala. Todd Carpenter, of Natchez, is BNI's president and chief executive officer and is principal owner of CNL. James B. Boone Jr., of Tuscaloosa, is BNI's chairman.

"We are pleased and honored to assume responsibilities for these newspapers and look forward to working with each staff member and community. We will work hard to meet every obligation to each community served and to produce newspapers and websites each community can be proud of," Carpenter said.

Bill Sharp will remain as publisher of the newspapers and related websites.

"I am very excited about this transition and I look forward to a great future with people who care about community news and the local newspaper," said Sharp, a 20-year resident of the area and the newspapers' publisher since November. His newspaper career began as an advertising sales representative for the Claiborne Progress in 2013. He was promoted to advertising manager of the Progress, Middlesboro Daily News and Harlan Daily Enterprise in 2015.

Lior Yahalomi, Civitas CEO, stated, "I am pleased to have Carpenter Newsmedia and Boone Newspapers own and manage these publications. Newspapers have grown and prospered in the communities they serve under the leadership of Todd Carpenter and James Boone."

CNL has ownership in BNI affiliates in Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, Texas and Virginia. Carpenter has been president of BNI for the past 13 years. BNI owns and manages 75 newspapers in similar-sized communities that, in addition to those in which CNL has ownership interest, are in Minnesota, Michigan and Ohio.

Other Kentucky affiliates of BNI and CNL are in Frankfort, Danville, Winchester, Nicholasville and Stanford.