Alaska Dispatch Publishing to Acquire Anchorage Daily News From McClatchy

Posted on April 8, 2014

Alaska Dispatch Publishing is to acquire the Anchorage Daily News from McClatchy. The Anchorage Daily News is the largest newspaper in Alaska. The $34 million deal will close in the second quarter of 2014. The New York Times reports that the $34 million acquisition price includes the newspaper, website and the building the paper is published from.

The Daily News says its president and publisher Pat Doyle and senior vp and editor Pat Dougherty will both be retiring.

Alice Rogoff, majority owner of Alaska Dispatch, says in a statement, "The Anchorage Daily News and Alaska Dispatch play vital roles in our great state. By merging these operations, we can serve as a stronger, even more comprehensive resource for Alaskans for their news and information. Our mission is to offer a level of coverage never before seen in Alaska history, and to offer it to readers across the state through a variety of mediums. We expect to publish news and commentary for all Alaskans, from oil field workers on the North Slope to Southeast fishermen; from those whose roots go back thousands of years to newcomers fresh off the plane; from our biggest cities to our most remote villages and everywhere in between. We want to provide a true public forum where Alaskans from all walks of life can come together to help build our community."

Kevin McClatchy, chairman of The McClatchy Company, says, "This is a bittersweet moment for all of us at McClatchy. We are extremely proud of the Daily News and its employees, their exceptional service to Alaska's diverse communities and all of their contributions to McClatchy over the years. However, this sale not only makes sense from a local ownership perspective, but it also allows McClatchy to focus more resources on accelerating our digital transformation to better serve our communities."