Stephens Media acquires three weekly publications

Friday, March 11, 2005 | 11:09 a.m.

The owner of the Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper has acquired three weekly publications serving Southern Nevada, the company announced Thursday.

Stephens Media Group has bought CityLife, the Las Vegas Business Press and the Las Vegas Senior Press. The purchase price was not disclosed.

"As of today, we are acquired," Ian Mylchreest, managing editor of the Business Press and the Senior Press, said Thursday.

The transaction was announced in a press release issued Thursday afternoon. Sherman Frederick, president and chief executive officer of Stephens and publisher of the Review-Journal, could not be reached for additional details.

Executives of Wick Communications, which has operated 15 publications in 12 states including the three newspapers in the deal with Stephens, also could not be reached for comment.

Sierra Vista, Ariz.-based Wick has several publications in Arizona and the sale of CityLife, the Business Press and the Senior Press would end the company's association with Nevada.

Frederick said in the release that the current staffs of the newspapers would be retained and that the publications would continue to operate from their plant just south of McCarran International Airport. He also said no changes are planned in the editorial focus of the newspapers.

But published reports said the Mercury, Stephens' 5-year-old alternative weekly newspaper, would be folded into CityLife and use that name.

Those reports also said Wick's contract to print local editions of Gannett Co.'s USA Today also was acquired in the deal and terms were not announced. Gannett officials could not be reached for comment.