Hollinger Buys Lerner

Posted on April 7, 2000

Hollinger International Inc., a leading newspaper group controlled by Canadian publisher Conrad M. Black, has acquired Lerner Communications Inc. and its 14 weekly newspapers in the Chicago area. The Lerner papers, with a combined weekly circulation of nearly 100,000, cover areas of the north and northwest sides of Chicago and several northern and northwestern suburbs. Lerner is based in suburban Lincolnwood, Ill.

Hollinger International a major newspaper and magazine publisher, with about 380 newspaper properties. Its dailies include the Chicago Sun-Times, the Jerusalem Post, the Daily Telegraph in London and the National Post in Canada. The Lerner papers will become part of Hollinger's 82-publication Chicago group, which also includes the Post-Tribune of Gary, Ind., the Daily Southtown, the publications of Pioneer Press and Digital Chicago magazine.

``The Lerner papers are well known for the news services they provide to the communities they serve and we are looking forward to expanding their presence to the benefit of our readers and advertisers,'' said Jerry J. Strader, president of Hollinger's American publishing division.