Black buys Washington newspapers

Sound Publishing, Inc., the largest publisher of community newspapers and shoppers in the Pacific Northwest, has purchased two established community newspapers, a regional shopper and two monthly business publications. Sound Publishing, which owns the Beacon Journal, is the U.S. branch of Black Papers Ltd.

Sound announced it has acquired two weeklies, the Marysville Globe and Arlington Times, the regional Express Shopper and two monthly business publications in Bellingham and Wenatchee, Washington, from Sun News, Inc. The purchase is effective August 10.

The Marysville Globe and Arlington Times are two of the oldest community newspapers in Washington State. Both have been published since the 1890s and have received numerous awards for newspaper excellence. The Globe, Times and the Express Shopper circulate throughout the Marysville and Arlington regions north of Everett.

The monthly Wenatchee Business Journal and the Bellingham Business Journal serve their respective cities and Chelan and Whatcom counties with business news and are the recipients of several Society of Professional Journalists awards.

Sun News, Inc., owned by Bob and Debra Marshall and Kris and Catherine Passey, acquired the Globe and Times in 1997 and purchased the business monthlies in 2001. Kris Passey will continue to serve as both publisher of the community newspapers and supervisor of the business publications.

Sound president Manfred Tempelmayr said the new acquisitions strengthen the company’s position in the Western Washington region.

“We are committed to the readers and advertisers in the Pacific Northwest and are excited to add these well-respected and established products. The former owners built a strong community connection with excellent newspapers and we intend to build on that strength,” Tempelmayr said.

Sound has publishing interests throughout Western Washington and Oregon. The company operates newspapers and business publications in the San Juan Islands, Whidbey Island, Kitsap County, Vashon Island and Tacoma and recently acquired, through its subsidiary King County Publications, the Reporter newspaper group in King County. Sound also publishes the Little Nickel and Nickel Ads classified products in both Washington and Oregon. Sound owns more than 50 publications in the region with a weekly circulation of 850,000.