Ark. papers ask for merger

Two northwest Arkansas newspaper publishers have asked permission from the U.S. Department of Justice to combine their operations.
Stephens Media LLC and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Inc. in Little Rock said they would create a company that would be jointly owned and that would produce a single print publication for the area.
Approval is contingent upon Stephens placing The Morning News for sale. The paper, distributed in Rogers and Springdale, competes with those owned by DCI.
According to the Democrat-Gazette, Walter Hussman, CEO of the company that owns the Little Rock daily, said the merger won’t take place if someone buys The Morning News. “We suspect that won’t happen,” Hussman said.
If the merger does take place, both companies would have an equal financial interest in the new entity, called Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC.
Stephens Media now publishes The Morning News and several other weekly publications in northwest Arkansas while DGI owns the Northwest Arkansas Times, the Benton County Daily Record and an edition of the Democrat-Gazette zoned for 12 counties in the area.
Under terms of the proposed merger, Stephens would be responsible for editorial control while DGI would control advertising, business, production and circulation, as well as editorial functions of the zoned Democrat-Gazette.
The Democrat-Gazette said it would focus on regional coverage while the other newspapers cover local news in each city. The Morning News distribution in Springdale and Rogers would be wrapped around a daily Democrat-Gazette.