Fears and concerns abound as The Gazette begins its new ownership era today, but one of the state’s most prominent journalism leaders feels the move will be a positive one for both the Cedar Rapids newspaper and its readers.
“The fact that they were purchased by Adams MultiMedia, I think, is encouraging news, and probably a really good win for both the Gazette and for Adams,” said Debbie Anselm, executive director of the Iowa Newspaper Association, which represents more than 240 member newspapers across the state. “I think it really fits nicely in Adams’ portfolio.”
The sale was effective Monday, Dec. 1.
Minnesota-based Adams MultiMedia announced Nov. 18 they were purchasing The Gazette and 11 other community newspaper titles. As with many acquisitions, the ownership change has raised some questions about the future, including impacts on employment and local autonomy. Indeed, a few news employees have been cut, including sports columnist Mike Hlas, sports editor JR Ogden and editorial columnist Althea Cole.
Nevertheless, Ms. Anselm said she feels The Gazette’s future is in good hands with Adams. The company, founded in 2014, now owns more than 120 newspapers and over 220 media-related and digital products in 19 states.
“I’ve been watching Adams for a while,” Ms. Anselm said. “They are a great company, and really committed to local news. I think what they really try to stress – at least what I’ve seen – is local leadership and local news coverage. But they bring expertise in a lot of platform and technology development and digital. It’s so hard to keep up on that. So to have that kind of infrastructure and assistance is really beneficial and lets someone like the Gazette continue to concentrate on local news, while Adams provides that infrastructure to support what they’re doing on the ground in terms of coverage.”
Noted publications focusing on the journalism industry have offered similar perspectives. Rick Edmonds of Poynter wrote about Adams MultiMedia in a column published in 2017, just as Adams’ profile began to surge.
“In contrast to other big consolidators, they often leave existing management in place, do not impose cookie-cutter content templates, and do not start by stripping down newsrooms of editors and reporters,” Mr. Edmonds wrote. “In their short time as operators, the Adams get good reviews, even cited, in a University of North Carolina study, as a partial antidote to the disturbing trend of growing news deserts as community papers weaken. Inland president Tom Slaughter told me, ‘they are unlike companies that rely on stripping out expense… In their model, they often leave managers and staff in place.’”
Editor & Publisher wrote about Adams in July, when the company was rebranded from Adams Publishing Group to Adams MultiMedia.
“Mark Adams, President and CEO, described the rebranding to Adams MultiMedia as a ‘pretty methodical’ decision, not a reactionary one,” E&P wrote. “‘We determined that the time was right,’ he said. ‘I don’t think we were too soon. I don’t think we’re too late. I think we’re just kind of perfect.’
“Nick Monico, COO, emphasized that the move simply acknowledges how the company already operates. ‘What we’ve done in our evolution to Adams MultiMedia is just reflect what our readers and advertisers want from us, which is digital products and services while we continue to fund that future with a focus on print,’ he said.”
Even though this is Adams’ first ownership venture into Iowa, Ms. Anselm she’s had a number of opportunities to interact directly with the company’s leaders.
“I’ve been able to see them in other states, and they’re a well-respected, front-leading company in our industry,” she said. “I’ve listened to them speak at conventions. I’m impressed with their leadership team. The leadership they’re going to bring is something I’m looking forward to. From my position with the state association, we’re all always looking for good leaders in the space to help us with advocacy work, learning from each other, sharing knowledge from one publisher to the next. I see this as a great benefit, and I’m happy to welcome them to Iowa.”
Ms. Anselm said she feels the move will allow The Gazette turn over many of its business functions, including accounting and IT, to Adams, while editorial operations will be allowed to continue with autonomy.
“I think you’re going to see the same faces that you know, the same type of content,” she said.
When they decided to make the acquisition, I think they had a lot of respect for the work being done by The Gazette. It’s a wonderful product, and they’ve got a talented team there. What I’ve known of Adams is they really lean into that local expertise, and it pairs nicely with what the corporate infrastructure can provide. I think it’s a win-win.”
In an environment that has seen hundreds of local newspapers cease operations across the country in recent years, the sale of The Gazette is likely a positive financial step for the company overall, Ms. Anselm said, as well as allowing locally-focused journalism to continue.
“Communities want and need local reporting,” Ms. Anselm said. “Strong communities will have a strong newspaper./ What newspapers have struggled with is really just a business model challenge. That’s what big tech and AI have done to our industry, and that is a big part of the problem. AI is giving people summaries. They’re scraping, they’re stealing content from local work, repurposing it and giving it out without permission and without compensation. Companies like Adams can really help with that. They believe and they know that local news is really critical to the communities they serve. To the people who are skeptical – they’re investing in local news. It’s not easy work, but it’s important work. It can be done, and you can be successful at it.”
