National Trust for Local News keeps 7 papers as it sheds Colorado titles
The National Trust for Local News on Tuesday announced a restructuring of its Colorado operations — known as Colorado Community Media — that centers on a partnership with Times Media Group.
The National Trust will transfer ownership of 21 local publications concentrated in metro Denver to Times Media Group, a community news publisher based in Tempe, Arizona, whose owner has personal roots in Colorado.
The National Trust will retain ownership of seven publications stretching from Brighton to Idaho Springs, and will continue to grow and operate the Trust Press, a community printing press that serves the Front Range media ecosystem. The organizations will enter into a strategic partnership around shared services and print production.
The deal is expected to close Wednesday.
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“Through this strategic partnership with Times Media Group, we can reduce our footprint in greater Denver without reducing local journalism there, all while positioning ourselves to grow in the parts of Colorado where the need for our unique model is greatest,” Will Nelligan, chief growth officer at the National Trust for Local News, said in a statement. “While it wasn’t an easy decision, we think it’s a positive outcome from all perspectives that sets the stage for a more resilient, equitable, and vibrant media ecosystem in the state.”
The seven newspapers retained by the National Trust are the Brighton Standard-Blade, Fort Lupton Press, Canyon Courier, Clear Creek Courant, Northglenn-Thornton Sentinel, Westminster Window and Golden Transcript. These titles will become part of the Colorado Trust for Local News, a subsidiary of the National Trust dedicated to building an equitable, resilient, and vibrant future for local news across Colorado.
Times Media Group owns and operates more than 60 publications in Arizona and California — free weekly newspapers, magazines, specialty publications and robust digital platforms that reach hundreds of thousands of readers. The news brands shifting to Times Media Group include newspapers like the Arvada Press, Littleton Independent and Parker Chronicle, as well as two shoppers.
The majority of Colorado Community Media’s employees were offered positions with Times Media Group, while others will stay with the Colorado Trust for Local News.
“We couldn’t be more excited to serve the communities in Colorado. We know how much community news means in this state, and we understand the terrific legacy created over the years by these publications and their teams,” said Steve Strickbine, president and founder of Times Media Group. “This partnership is a good fit for Times Media Group and the National Trust for Local News. I look forward to the great journalism ahead and the new ways we’ll create for our advertisers to reach their customers and clients.”
The National Trust for Local News acquired Colorado Community Media in 2021 to ensure its nearly two dozen newspapers had a future and would not become news deserts. The Colorado Sun helped facilitate the acquisition and in November 2023, as the Sun transitioned to nonprofit status, returned its shares to the National Trust.
Leadership told employees that The Trust was approached by Times Media Group in recent months and discovered the company shared its mission of preserving and growing local news.
Last fall, the National Trust opened the Trust Press in Denver, a community printing press designed to serve publishers across Colorado who are struggling with the rising costs of producing their journalism. The press has now taken on its first seven printing partners. As part of the transaction, TMG will print with the Trust Press.
As another part of the transaction, TMG will provide shared services to the Colorado Trust for Local News, including page design, digital infrastructure, advertising sales and circulation management.
Other terms of the transaction were not disclosed.