Chain of rural Colo. papers sold to 5-year-old Phoenix chain; seller says its stability made it attractive to buyers

Merle and Mary Baranczyk and Jim O'Rourke at
Arkansas Valley's central plant in Salida, Colo.

A well-regarded rural newspaper group in the Colorado Rockies, the Arkansas Valley Publishing Co., has been sold to O’Rourke Media Group, one of several recently established chains with rural papers.

CEO Jim O'Rourke and Arkansas Valley owners Merle and Mary Baranczyk announced the sale at a staff meeting Thursday. “For the past 48 years Merle and his team have done an amazing job changing with the times, publishing engaging local newspapers and supporting the communities served,” O'Rourke said, adding that he plans to keep all 35 employees. “We look forward to continuing this great work with an eye always on what we can do to improve, especially with bringing new digital products and solutions to market.”

Arkansas Valley Publishing had five newspapers, all in the Rocky Mountains: The Mountain Mail and Mountain Guide in Salida; the Chaffee County Times in Buena Vista; the Herald Democrat in Leadville; and The Park County Republican and Fairplay Flume. 

O’Rourke Media Group, started in 2018 and based in Phoenix, operates in eight states with 31 publications and websites. It news papers are also in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Vermont, Delaware, Virginia, Arizona and New Mexico.

Baranczyk was president of the National Newspaper Association and the Colorado Press Association and received many awards, including induiction to the CPA’s Hall of Fame in 2019.

“The fact that someone is interested in these communities and its newspapers says something about our commitment to the people and communities served,” Baranczyk said. “There are news deserts out there, where papers have folded up, and that is a tragedy and not healthy for a democratic society. It’s significant that AVP is stable. If it weren’t, no one would be interested in continuing this business.”