Joint announcement
Publisher Harold Johnson of Johnson Newspaper
Corporation in Watertown and Publisher Corrin Strong of Clarion
Publications in Geneseo have announced that Johnson has acquired
the name and subscription lists of the Lake and Valley Clarion.
The Clarion will discontinue publication with the March 22 issue
and subscriptions to that paper will be honored by The Livingston
County News, which is owned by the Johnson corporation.
The Clarion and the Livingston County News have competed in
the same market since both were founded in 1989.
We viewed this as a great opportunity to consolidate our
leadership position in the Livingston County market, Johnson
said.
Clarion Publications will continue to operate the Clarion Copy
Center, but has agreed not to compete in the weekly news business.
After 18 years I felt it was time to do something else,
Strong said. I will, of course, continue to be active
in community affairs.
Strong, a candidate for Mayor of Geneseo last year, is a founder
of Please Don't Destroy Geneseo (PDDG) a group that formed in
2005 in opposition to a Big Box proposal in Geneseo.
While there were no full time openings at The Livingston County
News available for Clarion employees at the time of the sale,
The County News has expressed interest in hiring some of The
Clarion's freelance correspondents.
Existing subscribers to both papers will have the remaining
portion of their Clarion subscription added to their County
News subscription. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Johnson Newspaper Corporation is a family owned and operated
business whose publications include the Livingston County News,
The (Batavia) Daily News and the Watertown Daily Times as well
as five daily and nine weekly newspapers throughout New York
State.
Johnson Newpaper Corporation was represented in the negotiations
by Tom Turnbull, Publisher of Johnson's Batavia Newspapers Corporation.
The Clarion was advised by Cribb, Greene and Associates of Bozeman,
Mont.