Hearst Acquires New Haven Register, Middletown Press

Publishing company Hearst announced that it has acquired the New Haven Register, Middletown Press, Register Citizen and eight weekly newspapers as part of a deal with 21st Century Media Newspaper LLC. The deal also includes Connecticut Magazine.

Financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed. The move now gives Hearst shoreline reach from Greenwich to the Guilford area. Hearst acquired the Norwalk Hour last year. It also will expand Hearst's reach to more of Connecticut's cities. The acquisition leaves Hearst and Tribune Co., owner of the Hartford Courant as the biggest players in Connecticut print news.

In recent years the parent company of the newly-acquired papers has gone through two bankruptcies.

"This investment strengthens Hearst Newspapers’ commitment to local communities in Connecticut, and expands Hearst’s local media presence to eight daily titles, 11 weeklies and a robust collection of digital outlets within the state," said Hearst Newspapers President Mark Aldam. "The New Haven Register has a rich tradition for high-quality community journalism dating back to the Jackson family ownership era. By connecting our current Connecticut media assets across Fairfield County with the New Haven Register group, we expect to advance enterprise journalism across southern Connecticut.”

The new properties have a combined weekly circulation of 470,000 households and a monthly digital reach of 1.4 million unique visitors.

Paul Barbetta, group publisher and president of the Hearst Connecticut Media Group, will oversee business and news operations for the acquired properties.