Freedom Communications
Freedom Communications, Inc. was an American media conglomerate that operated daily and weekly newspapers, websites and mobile applications and television stations, as well as Coast Magazine<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and other specialty publications. Headquartered at 625 N. Grand Avenue in Santa Ana, California, it was owned by a private equity firm, 2100 Trust, established in 2010 by investor Aaron Kushner.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Freedom's flagship newspaper was the Orange County Register, based in Santa Ana.
OwnershipEdit
Founder R.C. Hoiles gained a one-third interest in his first newspaper (The Alliance Review in Ohio) sometime in the 1910s. He and his brother Frank bought many more local newspapers over the next several decades. In 1935 he moved his base of operations to Santa Ana, California, and in 1950 he incorporated his syndicate as Freedom Newspapers, Inc. It was renamed Freedom Communications in 1993.<ref name="meg2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The company became a television station owner in 1984, with the acquisition of its first two stations WTVC-TV, Chattanooga, Tennessee and KFDM-TV, Beaumont, Texas. The Freedom television group eventually grew to six stations, including WRGB-TV Albany, New York, WPEC-TV West Palm Beach, Florida, WWMT-TV, Kalamazoo, Michigan and KTVL-TV Medford, Oregon. Freedom was operated as an entirely family-owned business until 2004, when private-equity firms Blackstone Group and Providence Equity Partners acquired a 40 percent share in Freedom for about $460 million. As part of this transaction, Freedom had acquired substantial debt.
On September 1, 2009, Freedom Communications went into a Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization.<ref name="wsj11">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The company left bankruptcy on April 30, 2010, under the ownership of investment firms Alden Global Capital, Angelo, Gordon & Co. and Luxor Capital Group. Lenders to the company also retained a stake in Freedom.Template:Citation needed
The company announced on November 2, 2011 that it would sell its entire television division to Sinclair Broadcast Group for $385 million in a move to eliminate the company's debt. The sale was completed on April 2, 2012.<ref name=ocr-freedomsinclair>Template:Cite news</ref>
Freedom began selling the majority of its newspaper portfolio in 2012. Four papers in the Midwest were sold to Ohio Community Media, an affiliate of the private equity firm Versa Capital Management, in May.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Clovis News Journal and other newspapers in New Mexico were sold to Stevenson Newspapers.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Freedom papers in Texas were sold to AIM Media Texas.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Its Florida and North Carolina papers were sold to Halifax Media Group.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
On June 11, 2012, Freedom Communications Holdings, Inc., announced an agreement to be acquired by 2100 Trust, LLC. in a merger with a subsidiary of 2100 Trust. On July 25, 2012, the latter, led by entrepreneur Aaron Kushner, acquired Freedom's dailies, associated non-daily publications and digital properties. The company continued to operate under the name Freedom Communications.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Kushner, who "preached the virtues of local journalism and a print product," bought Freedom in 2012 for $50 million plus assumption of pension liabilities. He increased staff and added new sections at the Orange County Register and began a new daily, the Long Beach Register. In January 2014, however, he announced heavy layoffs in Orange County and at the Riverside Press-Enterprise, which he also owned.<ref name=DozensLaid>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Register launched a Los Angeles edition, the Los Angeles Register, on April 16, 2014, but the venture ended five months later.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Long Beach Register became a Sunday-only publication in June 2014,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and ceased publication in December 2014.<ref name="LBRstops">Template:Cite news</ref>
Freedom closed the sale of The Gazette (Colorado Springs) to Clarity Media, a subsidiary of The Anschutz Corporation, on November 30, 2012.<ref name=denverbiz12>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2013, Freedom Communications sold the Yuma Sun and the Porterville Recorder to Rhode Island Suburban Newspapers and the Appeal-Democrat to Horizon Publications.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2014, Freedom sold the Daily Press and the Desert Dispatch to New Media Investment Group.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
On November 1, 2015, Freedom Communications filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In January, Freedom closed several of its weekly papers in Orange County.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On March 21, 2016 a bankruptcy judge approved the sale of Freedom Communications and its two major newspapers, the Orange County Register and the Riverside Press-Enterprise to Digital First Media (DFM). DFM is the parent of the Los Angeles News Group (LANG), which was renamed the Southern California News Group on the same day, and which owns eleven daily newspapers in Southern California.<ref>Talking New Media blog: "Bankruptcy judge approves Digital First Media purchase of Freedom Communications assets", by D.B. Hebbard21 March 2016.</ref><ref>LA Observed blog: "Memo: LA News Group now So Cal News Group", by Kevin Roderick, 21 March 2016.</ref>
LeadershipEdit
Founder and chief executive officer R.C. Hoiles led Freedom until his death in 1970. He was succeeded as chief executive officer by his son, C.H. Hoiles, who served until 1981, and then by:
- D.R. Segal (1981–1992)
- James N. Rosse (1992–1999)
- Samuel C. Wolgemuth (1999–2002)
- Alan Bell (2002–2006)
- Scott N. Flanders (2006–2009)
- Burl Osborne (2009–2010)
- Mitchell Stern (2010–2012)
- Aaron Kushner (2012–2015)
- Rich Mirman (2015−2016)
NewspapersEdit
Template:Refimprove section Freedom's newspaper portfolio consists of:
Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2 Los Angeles County
- Weekly newspapers:
- Easy Reader of Hermosa Beach (managed by Freedom pursuant to long-term agreement);<ref>Mary Ann Milbourn, "Register owner expands in L.A.", Orange County Register, January 21, 2014.</ref> includes 3 Easy Reader magazines:
- Beach
- Peninsula People
- Drop Zone
- The Press-Enterprise of Riverside<ref name=DozensLaid/>
- Weekly newspaper:
- Desert Enterprise of Palm Springs<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Unidos en el Sur de California (regional Spanish-language weekly)<ref name="consolidate">Mediha deMartino, "Freedom to Consolidate Spanish-Language Weeklies", Orange County Business Journal, March 7, 2014</ref>
- The Orange County Register of Santa Ana
- Weekly newspapers:
- Anaheim Hills News of Anaheim Hills<ref name="meg2"/>
- Anaheim Bulletin of Anaheim<ref name="meg2"/>
- Capistrano Valley News of San Juan Capistrano<ref name="meg1">Media General Puts 31 Papers, Including 13 in County, Up for Sale</ref><ref name="meg2"/>
- The Current of Newport Beach<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="dimartino">Template:Cite news</ref>
- Dana Point News of Dana Point<ref name="meg1"/><ref name="meg2"/>
- Fountain Valley View of Fountain Valley
- Fullerton News Tribune of Fullerton<ref name="meg2"/>
- Huntington Beach Wave of Huntington Beach
- Irvine World News of Irvine<ref name="dimartino"/><ref>Register Parent Buys 3 Weekly Newspapers</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- La Habra/Brea Star Progress of La Habra<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="meg2"/>
- Ladera Post of Ladera Ranch
- Laguna News-Post of Laguna Beach<ref name="meg1"/><ref name="meg2"/>
- Laguna Niguel/Aliso Viejo News of Laguna Niguel<ref name="meg1"/><ref name="meg2"/>
- Laguna Woods Globe of Laguna Woods
- Orange City News of Orange<ref name="meg2"/>
- Placentia News-Times of Placentia<ref name="meg1"/><ref name="meg2"/>
- Rancho Canyon News of Rancho Santa Margarita<ref name="meg1"/><ref name="meg2"/>
- Saddleback Valley News of Lake Forest<ref name="meg1"/><ref name="meg2"/>
- Saddleback Valley News of Mission Viejo<ref name="meg1"/><ref name="meg2"/>
- Sun Post News of San Clemente<ref name="meg1"/><ref name="meg2"/>
- Tustin News of Tustin
- Yorba Linda Star of Yorba Linda<ref name="meg1"/><ref name="meg2"/>
Former stationsEdit
- Stations are arranged in alphabetical order by state and city of license.
| Media market | State | Station | Purchased | Sold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Palm Beach | Florida | WPEC | 1996 | 2012 |
| Kalamazoo–Grand Rapids | Michigan | WWMT | 1998 | 2012 |
| Lansing | WLAJ | 1998 | 2012 | |
| Albany–Schenectady | New York | WRGB | 1986 | 2012 |
| WCWN | 2006 | 2012 | ||
| Medford | Oregon | KTVL | 1981 | 2012 |
| Providence | Rhode Island | WLNE-TV | 1982 | 2007 |
| Chattanooga | Tennessee | WTVC | 1983 | 2012 |
| Beaumont | Texas | KFDM | 1984 | 2012 |
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
Template:Freedom Communications Template:Digital First Media Template:SBGI Template:Coord