More than two years ago, it was suggested to keep a group of about a dozen Denver metro-area newspapers in local hands, rather than risk them falling into the hands of hedge funds.
We partnered with the National Trust for Local News and collectively purchased Colorado Community Media, which owned and operated many of these weekly newspapers, including Littleton Independent, Centennial Citizen, Golden Transcript, and several others.
Our goal was to preserve that crucial hyper-local journalism that these newspapers provide for their communities and in any way we could help. While the newspaper industry is facing challenges these days, we are pleased to say that these papers are still serving their communities well, and we are optimistic about their future.
This week, as The Sun converted from a public benefit corporation to a non-profit organization, we transferred our shares to the National Trust, which itself is a non-profit. The decision for this transfer will be up to the board of the National Trust and the board of CCM Convergence, the parent company of Colorado News Conservancy.
No compensation was received for this transfer of shares to The Sun. We are on this journey for the benefit of the public, and we believe we have done that.
Linda Shapley, publisher of Colorado Community Media newspapers, said, “I am grateful at this time for The Sun’s support, which was critical to our future. In the Colorado community media, we are excited to be part of developing the Colorado News Collaborative and dedicated to providing timely, factual news and information to our communities.”
The Sun is proud of the role we are playing in the Colorado media world, and we are ready to help in any way we can. Any day, you can read stories from The Sun that we share with newspapers across the state (you can also hear us on public radio station KUNC every Tuesday and Thursday).
The Sun recently published a three-part series, “Final Edition: Saving Local News,” which describes the challenges facing small newspapers across the state, how some are fighting back, and why we all have a stake in the outcome.
Please take some time to read it. Our democracy relies on a strong, independent press, and we urge you to support quality local journalism wherever you find it.