photo credit: Noah Abrams/KRCB

In a surprise twist The Press Democrat newspaper is announcing its sale, not to Hearst Media, nor the local investor group led by Bill and Cindy Gallaher, but to Alden Capital.

The Press Democrat staff is reporting that Sonoma Media Investments, the paper's parent company, has sold to MediaNews Group.

Phil Barber, a reporter and member of the Press Democrat Guild, said staff learned of the sale Thursday afternoon.

"We learned through a company-wide email that came from our new owners, which we had not even been told were in play, that came into my inbox at about 2:00 PM" Barder said. "I'm pretty sure that's how every employee learned the news."

Denver-based MediaNews, which the Press Democrat said is controlled by Alden Global Capital, owns 68 daily newspapers and more than 300 weekly publications throughout the United States.

The company also owns the Marin Independent Journal, San Jose Mercury News, the San Diego Union-Tribune and the Chicago Tribune.

Barber said Press Democrat staff have not had direct communication with MediaNews Group, but said the transition looks to be getting started right away.

"We are told that a representative will be in The Press Democrat newsroom [Friday] morning to go over some of the immediate changes and on-boarding procedures," Barber said.

The Press Democrat Guild, which represents the paper's editorial staff, had agreed to waive their contract to facilitate the paper's sale, they had assumed to Hearst, but Barber said now, "we have been told that all jobs will be preserved in the transition and that California Newspaper's partnership will be honoring our contract."

"So it sort of negates the possibility of an injunction based on that," Barber said.

While there are many questions and concerns for the Guild, Barber said, "until we learn otherwise, we will assume that we'll be allowed the same independence, and the same resources that have made The Press Democrat and its sibling publications award winners in the past."

In the sale announcement, Darius Anderson, managing member of Sonoma Media Investments said, "we believe that the newspaper, its staff and most importantly the public will be best served under the stewardship of MediaNews Group, with the newspaper expertise and financial resources necessary to carry on our mission of delivering the highest-caliber local journalism for future North Bay generations."