Wick Communications, based in Sierra Vista, Arizona, will acquire the Arizona Daily Sun in Flagstaff in a move that strengthens the company’s holdings in the state.
The company is acquiring the Daily Sun from Davenport, Iowa-based Lee Enterprises, Inc., which owns the Arizona Daily Star.
Wick Communications, a third-generation family owned and operated media corporation, owns 21 newspaper titles throughout 10 Western states from Alaska to Louisiana. Wick owns seven newspapers in Arizona and holds half ownership in four others in the state as a partner in River City Newspapers.
The announcement was made Tuesday in Flagstaff by Wick CEO Francis Wick, a fourth-generation Arizonan, and Daily Sun Publisher Colleen Brady.
“The Daily Sun and the Flagstaff community represent some of the best qualities of Arizona. We’re honored to be carrying on the strong legacy of this important community institution in the state we call home,” Wick said.
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Brady will remain publisher, and all employees of the Daily Sun have been offered positions with Wick Communications.
“We are very excited about joining the Wick Communications team. This will give us the ability to continue to invest in more local news for our readers and offer media solutions to our advertisers,” Brady said.
The Arizona Daily Sun, the largest newspaper in northern Arizona, originated in 1883 under the name Arizona Champion in Peach Springs. It was moved to Flagstaff in 1891 as the Coconino Sun and was renamed the Arizona Daily Sun in 1946.
The Daily Sun was part of Scripps League Newspapers until 1996, when the company was purchased by Pulitzer. Lee Enterprises acquired Pulitzer in 2005.
Today, the publication reaches hundreds of thousands of people every month through its website, apps, newsletters and specialty publications.
An agreement to purchase the newspaper was signed Aug. 31, and the acquisition is planned to be final on Sept. 25.
