| News Media Corporation | |
| Type: | Private |
| Industry: | Media |
| Founded: | 1975 |
| Founder: | John Tompkins |
| Hq Location: | Rochelle, Illinois |
| Key People: | John Tompkins (Chairman) JJ Tompkins(CEO/President)[1] Billy McMacken (COO) Michael Jordan (CFO) |
| Products: | Newspapers |
| Subsid: | News Media Digital |
News Media Corporation (NMC) is an American family-owned newspaper corporation that publishes 25[2] different newspaper titles in five[3] states across the United States. Currently, it operates in smaller cities and towns with populations between 5,000 and 50,000 in the states of Arizona, Illinois, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming.
News Media Corporation was founded in 1975 by John C. Tompkins when at age 21 he purchased The Rochelle News-Leader.[4]
The company purchased The Clinton Daily Journal in 1980[5] and acquired Lindsey Publishing and seven of its Wyoming newspapers in 1987. The sale included the Record-Times, Torrington Telegram, Lingle Guide, Platte County Record-Times, Daily Telegram and Wyoming Government Report newspapers.[6]
NMC went on to buy the King City Rustler in 1995;[7] Brookings Register and Huron Plainsman in 1999,[8] Siuslaw News in 2000,[9] Lake Powell Chronicle in 2005,[10] Cottage Grove Sentinel in 2006,[11] Newport News Times in 2007,[12] and Arizona Silver Belt in 2008.[13]
In July 2019, NMC sold the King City Rustler, Greenfield News, Soledad Bee and Gonzales Tribune to New SV Media, Inc. In August 2019, NMC sold Atascadero News and Paso Robles Press to Nicholas and Hayley Mattson.[14]
In August 2023, NMC sold its cluster of Colorado newspapers to Louie Mullen. The sale included the Valley Courier daily in Alamosa, Monte Vista Journal, The Del Norte Prospector, The Conejos County Citizen, Center Post-Dispatch, The Mineral County Miner, The South Fork Times and SLV Lifestyles.[15] In September 2023, NMC sold its cluster of Oregon newspapers to Country Media, Inc. The sale included the Newport News Times, the Siuslaw News and the Cottage Grove Sentinel.[16]
In July 2024, NMC agreed for Carpenter Media Group to manage its papers with the option to acquire the company. NMC leaders J.J. Tompkins and Billy McMacken assumed leadership roles with CMG.
In August 2018, Nick Monico joined NMC as President and John C. Tompkins was named Chairman. Before joining NMC, Monico was Chief Operations Officer of Wick Communications, vice president of community publishing for GateHouse Media, vice president/COO and chief strategic officer for Trib Total Media in Pittsburgh, president of Gannett Media Network of Central Ohio and COO of Thomson Newspapers’ Chicago and Kansas City divisions.[17]
Nick left News Media Corporation in October 2019[18] and John Shank was promoted to Chief Operating Officer.[19] Shank, who has worked his entire 31-year multimedia publishing career with NMC, is based in Rochelle and will oversee the company’s entire operation, while continuing on in a dual role as Illinois group publisher.[20]
In January 2022, JJ Tompkins was promoted to CEO and president to lead the family-owned business into the second generation. The same year Billy McMacken, longtime Brookings Register publisher, became COO to help lead NMC.[21]
In 2015, a lawyer for News Media Corporation sent a cease and desist letter to the owner of an online news site also titled Atascadero News, claiming trademark infringement (NMC publishes a paper with the same name).[22] The letter demanded that the owner stop using the name and a similar Twitter handle. The owner of the news site then changed the name to A-Town Daily News, referencing the town’s commonly used nickname.[23]