WXXI in Rochester, N.Y., has agreed to acquire the city’s alternative news weekly.
A for-profit subsidiary of the station will own CITY Newspaper and its digital platforms, the two organizations announced Wednesday.
Station President Norm Silverstein said the deal “helps WXXI to better serve our community through enhanced coverage of arts and culture, education, neighborhoods, and events. It’s an example of what a modern media organization should be.”
Mary Anna and Bill Towler founded CITY Newspaper in 1971. Citizens purchased stock to support its early years. The couple, now nearing retirement, approached WXXI with the idea.
“We believe the need for this newspaper has never been stronger, and it is our goal to ensure its publication continues for decades to come,” Mary Anna Towler said. “We have been members of WXXI for many years and know that together, it will be greater than the sum of two organizations.”
There will be no changes in the staff of 14 at the paper, Silverstein told Current. The two organizations will collaborate on editorial strategy.
“We’ll be reaching out to other public media outlets that have relationships with digital news organizations to see what has worked best for them,” he said.
The New York Council of Non-Profits Inc., with support from the United Way of Greater Rochester’s Synergy Fund, assisted WXXI with the deal.