Courier-Post sold to Quincy Media

The Hannibal (Mo.) Courier-Post will soon be under new leadership by a family-owned company just up river in Illinois.

GateHouse Media has agreed to sell the publication to Quincy Media Inc., which operates The Herald-Whig and WGEM-TV/Radio. An asset purchase agreement has been signed, and the transition is expected to begin later this summer.

Dirks, Van Essen, Murray & April, a media merger and acquisition firm based in Santa Fe, N.M., represented Quincy Media in the transaction. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

"This purchase helps us advance our mission of producing the highest-quality journalism and serving the interests of our local communities," said fifth generation newsman Ralph M. Oakley, president and CEO of Quincy Media Inc. "...We feel the Courier-Post will shine as one of Missouri's finest local newspapers."

The transition will bring ownership closer to the Hannibal community, said Ron Wallace, QMI vice president of newspapers and Herald-Whig publisher. Quincy is about a 30-minute drive to Hannibal, and the Courier-Post will help QMI build its regional news presence.

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