Delphos Herald, Inc. Sells Falmouth (KY) Outlook to PublisherBack to News
Falmouth, KY – January 10, 2022 – Delphos Herald, Inc. (DHI) has sold the weekly Falmouth (KY) Outlook to its publisher, Neil Belcher, and his wife, Marilyn. Neil has been the publisher of the Falmouth Outlook since 2014. DHI had owned the Falmouth Outlook since 1985.
Dirks, Van Essen & April, a media merger and acquisition firm based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, represented DHI in the transaction. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
When the Delphos Herald, Inc., owned by the Cohen family, decided to explore a sale of this newspaper they knew they wanted to find a local owner.
“Neil Belcher has been a pleasure to work with over the past seven years,” commented Delphos Herald, Inc. Acting President Roberta Cohen. Community journalism is at the heart of our organization and Neil and his staff have dedicated themselves to telling the stories of Pendleton County in compelling ways that win loyal subscribers and win awards at the state level year after year.”
Neil and Marilyn, active members in the Pendleton County community since their relocation from Ohio seven years ago, jumped on the opportunity to make the paper their own. Neil’s work with community newspapers has given him a great understanding of their role in the community. He has spent his entire career in the newspaper industry, holding various positions before taking the publisher role in Falmouth, including circulation manager, sales representative, advertising director, business manager and general manager.
“Across the state and across the country, small local newspapers have been acquired by larger newspaper chains. Being the newspaper of record for Pendleton County is a responsibility we don’t take lightly,” Neil said. “Community journalism is so important to a small community such as ours. Hopefully, our independent local ownership will allow us to be nimble enough to adapt to whatever challenges we encounter. With 40 years of newspaper experience to draw from, I feel my entire career has prepared me for this moment. Marilyn and I are passionate about doing our best to provide the news and information to our readers, as well as results for our advertisers.”
The Delphos Herald, Inc., headquartered in Delphos, Ohio, continues to own and operate 15 community newspapers in Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois. Its largest cluster of papers is in western Ohio, where it publishes the Delphos Herald, the Van Wert Times Bulletin, the Paulding Progress, the Putnam County Sentinel, the Ada Herald, and the Columbus Grove Vidette. The company also owns Midwest Publishing Company (dba Eagle Print), which is a commercial printing company located in Delphos, Ohio. It also operates the Monroe County Beacon in eastern Ohio and the Cass County Star-Gazette in central Illinois. Its Indiana titles include the Dearborn County Register, Aurora Journal Press, Rising Sun Recorder and, in Ohio, the Harrison Press. Rounding out the company’s portfolio is a group of three papers serving markets in northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. These include The Vilas County News-Review, the Iron County Reporter, and The Waushara Argus.