MMC acquires Delphos Herald media properties in Michigan and WisconsinBack to News

Green Bay, WI – April 15, 2023 – Multi Media Channels (MMC) has acquired multiple media properties from Delphos Herald, Inc. and the Cohen family.

The purchase included The Vilas County News Review, The Three Lakes News, and The Northwoods Trader in Eagle River, Wisconsin; the Iron County Reporter and The Reporter Shoppers’ Guide in Iron River, Michigan; and The Central Wisconsin Resorter and Waushara Argus in Wautoma, Wisconsin.

Dirks, Van Essen & April, a media merger and acquisition firm based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, represented Delphos Herald, Inc. and the Cohen family in the transaction. The sale closed on April 14. Terms were not disclosed.

“We are excited to assume the Cohen family’s stewardship of these publications,” said MMC CEO Patrick Wood.

“We intend to strengthen and enrich the community by continuing to provide strong reporting on local news and sports and powerful advertising options for retailers and employers. It is our intention to sustain the Cohen family’s legacy through the years to come by maintaining, and if possible exceeding, the high standards of journalistic integrity and customer service they set during their tenure."

"We have the utmost respect for the Cohen family, and we believe that the enduring partnership of all of our colleagues, both here and in the rest of the company, will forge a strong alliance that supports the vitality of the community. We appreciate the support we have had from our financial partner, Nicolet National Bank. Over the years we’ve found our relationship with them to be invaluable,” added MMC financial consultant Thomas Wood.

Roberta Cohen said her family has owned the Vilas County News-Review, The Waushara Argus and the Iron County Reporter for many years.

“My father, Murray Cohen, who passed away in December 2021, loved to visit these newspapers. He was proud to be associated with the incredible newspaper professionals that work at each of these newspapers,” she recalled.

“I appreciate the amazing job these teams do, telling the stories of the people who live and work in their local communities with award-winning journalism.  And now, I feel confident that I can entrust these newspapers to a company that shares the same vision and values that my sister, Jennifer Shneiderman, and I have and that my father had. Family-held Multi Media Channels, led by the Wood family, is well-suited to take over the reins immediately and continue my family’s legacy. I’m excited to work with them on the transiting ownership of the Vilas County News-Review, the Waushara Argus and the Iron County Reporter while maintaining the journalism excellence that readers and advertisers have come to expect.”

MMC began its work in community newspaper publishing in Denmark, Wisconsin, in 1953. Under the leadership of its founder, Frank Wood, the business expanded into other markets. Today, the company remains in the Wood family, owned and operated by both family members and employees, publishing 31 weekly and four monthly print publications and 28 digital channels that serve the central, northern, and eastern regions of Wisconsin.