Sample News Group
Sample News Group, LLC is an American publisher of newspapers serving suburban and rural markets in the tri-state area of New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, as well as in Vermont. The company is family owned and structured as a limited liability company. According to their website, their address is in State College, Pennsylvania.[1]
History[edit]
Sample News Group was founded by George Raymond Sample, Jr. (1924–2008).[2][3] Sample was married to a woman named Janet.[4] As of October 2022, George "Scoop" Sample (né George Raymond Sample III; born 1952),[citation needed] one of eight children of George Sample Jr.,[5] is the CEO.[6] Scoop's hometown is Corry, Pennsylvania.[7] The group is also actively managed by Scoop's wife, Marlene Sample (aka "Sissie" Kane; née Marlene Sue Kane; born 1951).[citation needed]
The family of Joseph Franklin Biddle sold the Joseph F. Biddle Publishing Company to Sample in October 1991; the deal included Huntingdon's Daily News, as well as three other publications.[8]
In 2018, Sample purchased The Times Record and the Journal Tribune from Reade Brower.[9] That same year, Sample acquired two dailies in Vermont, sister papers Rutland Herald and The Times Argus,[10] purchasing them from Vermont Community Media, a company partially owned by Brower.[11] Two other weeklies and some websites were also included in the sale.[12] Brower's company had acquired the two dailies as well as the Rutland Reader and the Central Vermont Reader in 2016;[13] they are now both owned by Sample.[14] Also in 2018, Sample sold its Chester, Vermont paper The Message for the Week to KMA Publishing, who ended its publication.[15]
In early 2022, the group announced they had introduced a new publisher and a new VP of digital development to serve its holdings in southwestern Pennsylvania.[16][17] later in 2022, the Titusville News-Journal was started by Sample.[18]
The Batavia Daily News and Livingston County News of Livingston County, New York and Genesee County, New York were purchased in 2023,[19][20] from the Watertown, New York–based Johnson Newspaper Corporation.[21]
Publications[edit]
The group, as listed on their website in October 2023, owns the following:
Dailies[edit]
New York[edit]
Pennsylvania[edit]
- Bedford Gazette (Bedford)
- Indiana Gazette (Indiana)
- Mature Living (Indiana)
- Westmoreland Homes (Indiana)
- Indiana Property (Indiana)
- The Shopper's Guide (Indiana)
- The Daily News (Huntingdon)
- Gettysburg Times (Gettysburg)
- The News Item (Shamokin)
- The Review (Towanda)
- Latrobe Bulletin (Latrobe)
- Monthly Values (Latrobe)
- Morning Times (Sayre)
- Corry Journal (Corry)
- Standard Journal (Milton)
- The Daily Herald (Tyrone)
- The Leader Times (Kittanning)
- Monthly Values (Kittanning)
- The Daily Courier (Connellsville)
- Mature Living (Connellsville)
Vermont[edit]
Weeklies[edit]
New Jersey[edit]
- Somers Point Sentinel (Somers Point)
- Upper Township Sentinel (Upper Township)
- Ocean City Sentinel (Ocean City)
- Ocean City Sure Guide (Ocean City)
- Cape May Star and Wave (Cape May)
- Cape May/Wildwood Sure Guide (Cape May)
New York[edit]
Pennsylvania[edit]
- Mercersburg Journal (Mercersburg)
- Philipsburg Weekender (Philipsburg)
- North East News Journal (North East)
- The Farmers Friend (Towanda)
- Mainline Extra (Ebensburg)
- The Star-Courier (Northern Cambria)
- The Dispatch (Portage)
- The Mainliner (Cresson)
- Mountaineer Herald (Ebensburg)
- The Journal (Nanty Glo)
- Union City Express (Union City)
- Titusville News-Journal (Titusville)
- Forest County News Journal (Tionesta)
- Susquehanna County Weekender (Montrose)
- Susquehanna County Independent (Montrose)
- Shippensburg News Chronicle (Shippensburg)
- The Citizens Standard (Valley View)
- The Valley Times-Star (Newville)
- The Valley Log (Orbisonia)
- Broad Top Bulletin (Broad Top)
- West County News-Journal (Girard)
- The Blairsville Dispatch (Blairsville)
- The Mt. Pleasant Journal (Mount Pleasant)
- The Independent Observer (Scottdale)
- The Ligonier Echo (Ligonier)
Vermont[edit]
Business[edit]
Pennsylvania[edit]
- Marcellus Business Central (State College)
- Pennsylvania Business Central (State College)
- Pennsylvania Business Woman (State College)
Lifestyle[edit]
Pennsylvania[edit]
- Centered: Life in Balance (State College)
- State College Magazine (State College)
Shopping[edit]
New York[edit]
Pennsylvania[edit]
- Bargain Street (State College, Pennsylvania)
- Shoppers Guide (Everett)
- Warren County Guide (Warren)
- Trader (Kittanning–Ebensburg)
- Your Local Auto (Kittanning–Ebensburg)
References[edit]
- ^ "Contact Information". Sample News Group. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
- ^ English, Phil (July 30, 2008). "154 Cong. Rec. 17775 - HONORING THE LIFE OF GEORGE R. SAMPLE, JR". Congressional Record. 154 (13): 17775–17776. Also available via Congress.gov.
- ^ "About". citizenstandard.com. The Citizen-Standard. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
- ^ "Longtime journalist, publisher Sample dies at 84". Meadville Tribune. Associated Press. 2008-06-18. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
- ^ "George R. Sample '46". Penn State Behrend. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
- ^ Mertz, Kevin (2022-10-21). "Sample News Group CEO honored". The News-Item. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
- ^ "George "Scoop" Sample". PA Business Central/Marcellus Business Central/Women in Business. 2017-01-27. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
- ^ "Huntingdon Newspaper Is Purchased". The Times-Tribune. Associated Press. October 27, 1991. p. A-12.
- ^ Keyes, Bob (2018-03-23). "Press Herald owner Reade Brower will acquire newspapers in Biddeford and Brunswick". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
- ^ Delcore, David (2018-03-22). "Rutland Herald and Times Argus to be sold — again". Rutland Herald. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
- ^ Meyn, Colin (2018-03-22). "Herald and Times Argus sold to family-owned Sample News Group". VTDigger. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
- ^ "Sample News Group purchases Rutland Herald". The Eagle Times. 2018-03-23. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
- ^ "Courier owner buys pair of Vermont papers". Courier-Gazette. 2016-08-11. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
- ^ "Sample News Group Publication List". Sample News Group. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
- ^ Cunningham, Shawn; Prairie, Cynthia (April 27, 2018). "Message closed; sale to Vermont Journal expected". The Chester Telegraph. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
- ^ "Sample News Group welcomes key executives". Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association. Huntingdon. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
- ^ "'The power of digital' is key to newspaper company's expansion". The Corry Journal. 2022-02-07. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
- ^ "On heels of Herald closure, Sample News Group steps in". The Corry Journal. 2022-11-11. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
- ^ "Sample News Group buys 4 publications". Oswego County News Now. 2023-03-22. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
- ^ "Sample News Group purchases the Batavia Daily News, Livingston County News". Livingston County News. 2023-03-23. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
- ^ "Sample News Group acquires the Batavia (New York) Daily News and Livingston County News". National Newspaper Association. April 13, 2023. Retrieved 2023-10-13.