LEESBURG, Fla. — The media group that owns The Free Press and several other newspapers in Eastern North Carolina is purchasing three more in Florida.
Halifax Media Group, based in Daytona Beach, Fla., and HarborPoint Media have entered into a letter of intent pursuant to which Halifax would acquire the assets of HarborPoint. Those assets are the Daily Commercial of Leesburg, Fla., the News-Sun of Sebring and the South Lake Press of Clermont.
The companies anticipate closing the transaction as of Sept. 30.
“We believe that Halifax is a good home for our employees and newspapers,” said Russell Denson, a HarborPoint director. “As a larger newspaper publisher in the Florida market, Halifax brings additional resources and capabilities to expand and enhance the newspapers’ service to their readers, advertisers and communities.”
Halifax Media Group is the parent company of The Free Press, The Jones Post, Jacksonville Daily News, Topsail Advertiser, Wilmington Star-News, New Bern Sun Journal and Havelock News, among others.
“We are excited about the deal. The Daily Commercial, the largest newspaper in the group, is located in Leesburg, within an hour of both the Halifax’s News-Journal in Daytona Beach and the Star-Banner in Ocala. Plus, the News-Sun operation based in Sebring is near our Lakeland operation,” said Michael Redding, CEO of Halifax Media Group. “These Central Florida markets are positioned in the heart of our Florida footprint. We know the markets and the publications.”
Dirks Van Essen & Murray, a newspaper merger and acquisition firm located in Santa Fe, N.M., represented Halifax in the transaction.
With the acquisition, Halifax will own 36 newspapers and affiliated websites published in five states in the Southeast U.S.
