Elmhurst Newspaper Gets New Owner

ELMHURST, IL – A company with newspapers around the country assumed control of the Elmhurst Independent weekly newspaper last week.

The Independent announced the transfer of ownership in its Thursday edition.

The transfer consists of the Elmhurst Independent, Addison Independent, Bensenville Independent, Villa Park Review and Lombardian.

The new owner is O'Rourke Media Group, which operates more than five dozen community newspapers in several states.

The former owner was Rock Valley Publishing, whose publisher is Elmhurst native Peter Cruger.

"It's an emotional transaction," Cruger said in an Independent story. "My great-grandfather and grandfather moved to Elmhurst in 1922 after purchasing a four-page newspaper that became the Elmhurst Press."

According to the Independent, the Cruger family expanded the business to 35 weekly newspapers over the next generations.

In the Independent story, O'Rourke's owner, Jim O'Rourke, said his company did not aim to change the identity of the newspapers, but to strengthen and support them.

Cruger said the newspapers would remain in good hands.

Rock Valley's holdings still include newspapers in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin.

Recently, Rock Valley sold its building at 240 N. West Ave. to a developer who plans townhomes on the property.

With the advent of the internet, newspapers have been declining for years nationwide. Many have closed or merged.

Like most towns, Elmhurst has seen a drop in local news coverage. Just before the pandemic, three area reporters covered a local park board meeting about putting a tax hike before voters. Such attendance is unlikely to happen now.