Publishing Company Considers Buying Spokane Valley News

Sat., June 1, 1996

By Ward Sanderson wards@spokesman.com

The publisher of the Spokane Valley News is negotiating the sale of the weekly newspaper to Journal News Publishing Company, a representative of the potential buyer said.

Journal News Publishing owns the Cheney Free Press, Medical Lake Register, Davenport Times, Grant County Journal and Grand Coulee Star newspapers.

“We’re in negotiations with the Spokane Valley News,” said William Ifft, the company’s secretary and publisher of its Cheney and Medical Lake newspapers.

“Our specialty is little niche, weekly newspapers.”

Spokane Valley News publisher Rob Allen declined to comment.

Documents the News filed with the county this spring show it has a certified total circulation of 2,842.

Ifft said Journal News Publishing has been involved with the Spokane Valley News since it was launched in January 1994. The Spokane Valley News is printed by the Cheney Free Press.

“Well, we’ve been involved with it since its inception,” Ifft said. “Not financially, but from an advisory standpoint.”

The company is currently reviewing the value of the Spokane Valley News. “(We’re) trying to figure out their debt, figure out what it is we’re buying,” Ifft said.

The Spokane Valley News owes money to Journal News Publishing for its press services. Ifft declined to specify the amount of the debt, but said that is one of the reasons his company is negotiating a buy.

The Spokane Valley News might be more attractive to a buyer now than it was just a few months ago. Spokane County contracted in April with the News to publish county legal notices starting July 1.

It underbid The Valley Herald, the weekly paper that was awarded the contract last year. Brett Ryberg, a buyer for the county public works purchasing department, estimated the Valley Herald will have been paid $65,000 to publish the notices by the time its one-year contract expires June 30.

County Commissioner Steve Hasson asked Donald LaBrecque, the county’s purchasing director, to investigate how the sale of the News would affect the validity of the legal notices contract. “If the contract is an uncomfortable one, we’ll make it appropriate or divest the contract,” Hasson said.

Hasson even mentioned the possibility of opening the contract up for bid again.

“I have no reason to think is a problem, but I’ll investigate it,” LaBrecuqe said. “It’s a contract, and it’s valid until I find a reason that it’s not.”

News publisher Allen, a former city editor of The Spokesman-Review, did not return calls. When visited at his University City North offices last week, he declined to discuss the possibility of a sale.

“I can’t talk about that,” Allen said.

Allen also recently approached The Valley Herald about the possibility of a merger, Herald publisher Clark Hager said. Hager said he declined the offer.

Hager bought the Herald for $50,000 from John Vlahovich in 1992. He said Allen offered to pay him that same amount, but in the form of stock.

“I’ll sell it, but not for stock,” Hager said.

Allen also approached Hager about buying the Herald in 1993, Hager said, before founding the Spokane Valley News.

Hager said he is not currently entertaining any other sale offers, adding that he likes his role as publisher.

“I’m poor as a church mouse, but I’m enjoying myself,” he said.

, DataTimes

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