Ogden Newspapers Acquires Mother Earth News

Posted on December 15, 2000

The Ogden Newspapers, Inc. has signed an agreement to acquire the assets of Mother Earth News, a rural-lifestyle magazine currently owned by Sussex Publishers, Inc. Under the agreement, Ogden will assume control of Mother Earth News early next year.

``We are very excited about the opportunities for Mother Earth News,'' said Bryan Welch, Publisher of Ogden Publications. ``It's a tremendous magazine and a tremendous brand. Mother Earth News has a loyal audience, and its reputation as a trusted source of news and advertising is unsurpassed in its niche. We're pleased and proud to become part of that tradition.''

Sussex Publishers CEO John P. Colman, said that Ogden was an ideal buyer for Mother Earth News. ``We were happy that Ogden took an interest in Mother Earth News. Their interest in rural lifestyles and their long history of serving readers in small towns and rural areas seemed perfectly suited to the title. They have a passion for the product and a history of serving their readers with great integrity. We feel very confident that Mother Earth News, and the magazine's readers, are in good hands.''

Re-launched in 1991 by Sussex Publishers, Mother Earth News has a total readership of more than 1.1 million men and women seeking information about a way of life that encourages self-sufficiency and a closer relationship to nature and the outdoors.

Ogden Newspapers, Inc. is a diversified publishing company that publishes 36 daily newspapers as well as magazines, regional telephone directories, weekly newspapers and shoppers located in 11 states. The fourth-generation family-owned company has been headquartered in Wheeling, WV, since 1890. Ogden Publications, Inc. an affiliated company based in Topeka, KS publishes several rural-lifestyle magazines including Grit, Capper's and Farm Collector. The Ogden Publications group also includes an insurance brokerage, a subscription agency and other ancillary marketing interests.