Keener Communications acquires two more newspapers

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Keener Communications Group (KCG) announces the acquisition of the Minnesota Christian Chronicle and the Mid-South World newspapers from World Newspaper Publishing.

The Minnesota Christian Chronicle was founded in 1978 and may be the oldest regional Christian newspaper in the U.S. It has a rich history of award-winning journalistic excellence and is often referred to as the “Granddaddy of all Christian Newspapers” for its longevity and consistent quality. 20,000 copies are distributed twice a month in the Twin Cities metropolitan area of Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota.

The Mid-South World (formerly the Christian Banner) is a monthly publication with 20,000 copies distributed throughout the Memphis, Tennessee, metropolitan area.

The two newspapers will bring to seven the total number of regional newspapers in KCG’s Christian Examiner newspaper group, located in four states. From its San Diego, Calif., corporate office, the Christian Examiner currently publishes four papers for Southern California and one for the Puget Sound region of Washington. Total circulation will now reach nearly 200,000 copies each month.

“This is an exciting day for the Christian Examiner,” said Lamar Keener, president of Keener Communications Group. “We have held the Minnesota Christian Chronicle in high regard for so many years, and now to actually own it is a distinct honor. It is our desire to not only continue its rich tradition, but to see it reach new heights.”

World Newspaper Publishing will continue to publish its flagship newspaper, The Charlotte World, last year’s Newspaper of the Year for both the Evangelical Press Association (EPA) and the Fellowship of Christian Newspapers (FCN).

The sale of the two newspapers by World Newspaper Publishing will allow Warren Smith to focus energies on his two newspapers in North Carolina and to develop a daily radio program for WDFT-AM (“Think Radio”) in Charlotte. Smith will also host a weekly radio program called “World Views With Warren Smith.” This program will initially air on 20 stations in the Southeast and will be syndicated nationally by the Charis Radio Network. Smith will continue to distribute the Evangelical Press News Service (EP News).

“The decision to sell these papers was an agonizing one for me,” Smith said. “But knowing that the current staff will remain in place and that Lamar Keener will be at the helm has made the decision much easier. He is an outstanding newspaper professional, and a man of godly character who will run the papers as a service to the Kingdom of God and to their local markets.”

All the newspapers involved in this transaction are members of EPA and FCN.

Published, January 2006

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