Heartland Publications buys newspapers in 4 Southern states

<p>Heartland Publications LLC of Old Saybrook, Conn., will buy four daily newspapers and other properties from Mid-South Management Co. Inc., the companies said Friday.</p><p>The sale price was not disclosed.</p><p>The deal is expected to close in early June and includes four daily newspapers, three triweeklies, two biweeklies and seven weeklies, plus a wine magazine and several shoppers and niche publications, according to a news release from Heartland Publications.</p><p>Andrew Babb, Mid-South's president and owner of Crescent Media Group whose properties were included in the sale, said the transaction came from his family's desire "to find a partner that shares our philosophy and could provide the resources necessary to strengthen our publications in serving their communities."</p><p>Spartanburg-based Mid-South was started in 1953 by Babb's grandfather, Phil Buchheit. Babb's mother, Phyllis Delapp, is company chairman.</p><p>Heartland, owned by a New York equity firm and an investing subsidiary of Wachovia Corp., was formed in 2004 and will have 48 paid-circulation newspapers mostly in the Southeast and Midwest after the Mid-South/Crescent Media acquisition.</p><p>Heartland is "very excited to be expanding our company's Southern footprint through our acquisition of this group of fine community newspapers," company chief executive Michael Bush said in the news release. "We intend on building upon their great legacy of community service and journalistic integrity by providing additional marketing and Internet services."</p><p>The daily newspapers included in the deal are The Union Daily Times in South Carolina, LaGrange Daily News in Georgia and The Laurinburg Exchange and The Mount Airy News in North Carolina.</p><p>Other newspapers in the sale include The (Winnsboro) Herald Independent, Newberry Observer, Easley Progress and Pickens Sentinel in South Carolina; The Thomaston Times in Georgia and The Carroll News in Virginia.</p><p>In North Carolina, the other newspapers are The Tribune in Elkin-Jonesville, Stokes News in King, The Yadkin Ripple in Yadkinville, The Jefferson Post in West Jefferson, Rural Hall Weekly Independent in Rural Hall, The Pilot in Pilot Mountain.</p>