GateHouse Media, the owner of the Amarillo Globe-News, announced that Belinda Wheeler Mills, the publication's current director of operations/advertising director, has assumed the title of general manager/advertising director.

New Media Investment Group Inc. and Gannett Co., Inc. have entered into a definitive agreement pursuant to which New Media will acquire Gannett for a combination of cash and stock.

The merger brings together the portfolios of two leading local newspaper companies, and includes USA TODAY, Gannett's flagship brand, and its more than 160 brands in the U.K., which will significantly expand the existing USA TODAY NETWORK.

This combination will create a broad network of talented, experienced journalists poised to deliver unique and award-winning content for local communities and national audiences. The breadth and depth of each company's digital offerings will make the combined company a leading digital media player. Additionally, the joining of New Media's UpCurve and GateHouse Live businesses with Gannett's ReachLocal and WordStream subsidiaries will provide multiple, diversified marketing and revenue solutions and position the combined company as a stronger partner for advertisers and small businesses in the markets served.

Keep up to date with the latest Gannett and GateHouse merger news, including perspectives from newspapers and media experts around the country, at this link.

GateHouse Media launched a nationwide single-copy promotion earlier this year in an effort to boost readership and sales. Starting in May, the publisher ran its "Crack the Code" promo for eight weeks, giving away weekly prizes totaling $150,000.

"As of late June, we'd already received more than 341,000 entries," Rick Dumas, senior director of single-copy sales for GateHouse, told News & Tech.

Read more from News & Tech.

The deal isn't yet finished. But Ken Doctor says he has been told by multiple sources that there are no major stumbling blocks left to negotiate in a megamerger between the United States' two largest daily newspaper chains – Gannett and GateHouse. It's increasingly likely to happen, with an announcement by summer's end. That's despite absolute public silence from the companies involved.

Read more from his article in NiemanLab.

GateHouse Media has agreed to acquire the daily Newton (N.J.) New Jersey Herald from family-owned Quincy Media.

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.

For the do-it-yourself employer, GateHouse Media's self-serve recruiting ads have proven to be convenient and popular. For GateHouse, they've proven to be lucrative.

GateHouse impressed people at a recent SNPA P2P (Publisher-to-Publisher) video conference on classified advertising with this number: projected revenues of $1.5 million for 2019.

Janet Hasson, president and publisher of The Providence (R.I.) Journal for the last four years, announced her retirement at a gathering of newspaper staff.

Beside her stood the newspaper's soon-to-be new publisher, Peter Meyer, publisher of the Cape Cod Times and head of a division of newspapers in eastern Massachusetts and seacoast New Hampshire similarly owned by GateHouse Media.

Rugged Races LLC, a subsidiary of GateHouse Live and one of the largest endurance event companies in North America, has announced that Ronan Gardiner will be joining the company in the newly created role of vice president, chief revenue officer. Gardiner was most recently vice president, publishing director and chief revenue officer overseeing Men's Health, Runner's World and Bicycling magazines and their respective websites.

Matt Guthrie, regional vice president for GateHouse's Southwest region, has named Jennifer Allen group publisher over the East Arkansas region. GateHouse Media's East Arkansas group includes the Hot Springs Village Voice, Pine Bluff Commercial, White Hall Journal, Stuttgart Daily Leader, the Helena Daily World, Newport Independent and Bastrop Enterprise.

GateHouse Live was the recipient of the 2019 Mega-Innovation Award presented at the Key Executives Mega-Conference.

Putting on events has much in common with publishing, according to Jason Taylor, president of GateHouse Live and New Media Group Ventures.

Publishers, he said, create content that attracts an audience, and they try to monetize that audience. "An event does the exact same thing."