Washington's largest newspaper publisher sold to out-of-state investors following financial hardship

The largest network of community newspapers in Washington state has been sold to new owners, following tough financial times.

If you get a local newspaper in Western Washington, chances are is it operated by Sound Publishing. Sound owns more than 40 newspapers across the state, as well as three publications in Alaska. In 2013, it purchased the Seattle Weekly, which has since been operated as an online-only news site. The largest newspaper in its collection is The Everett Herald.

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Sound Publishing's parent company, Black Press, has been sold to a partnership between investment groups, as well as Alabama-based Carpenter Media Group. In January, Black Press filed for creditor protection in British Columbia. Similar to bankruptcy proceedings in the United States, the Canadian creditor protection process allows insolvent companies to restructure.

“We are dedicated to serving communities with the best hyperlocal journalism, available 24/7 and produced by passionate journalists living in those communities,” Black Press CEO Glenn Rogers said in a statement published by the Seattle Weekly. “With our strong financial position and the support of our new ownership group, our readers and advertisers can count on us to continue delivering the quality journalism and advertising solutions that we are known for.”

With the sale, Carpenter Media Group gets its foot in the door of the Northwest news market. Washington is its first move outside of the Southeast U.S. and Texas where it operates a small collection of newspapers and magazines. According to The Everett Herald, Black Press is the sixth largest daily publisher in the United States.

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Sound Publishing established its roots in 1987 with the purchase of newspapers on Whidbey Island, followed by the purchase of the Bainbridge Island Review and Port Orchard Independent in 1988. It steadily acquired community newspapers across Washington in the years since. According to Sound, Black Press' print audience is about 4.5 million readers across 150 daily and weekly newspapers, magazines, and websites. It also claims to get 19 million users per month on its websites.

In recent years, Sound Publishing has been scaling back some operations, combining newsrooms and offices across Western Washington. Many of its papers operate with a single editor and one reporter.

Black Press employs about 1,200 workers in the U.S. and Canada. It also operates a handful of newspapers in Hawaii. Herald staff members formed a union in 2022.