Valley Breeze Newspaper Sold to Ex-GateHouse Media Executive

Valley Breeze Newspaper Sold to Ex-GateHouse Media Executive

The Valley Breeze, one of the last locally owned media companies in Rhode Island, has been sold to a Virginia-based newspaper company run by a former top executive with GateHouse Media.

The deal was announced on Wednesday.

According to the Valley Breeze — the paper “was born in [Tom] Ward’s home on Pound Road, Cumberland in March 1996. Ward and [Jamie] Quinn were joined by Marcia Green, of Cumberland, who served as editor. Barbara Phinney was bookkeeper. In its first week, 10,000 free 20-page newspapers were delivered in Cumberland and Lincoln. The Breeze quickly grew in size and popularity. In 1999, a second edition was added to serve Woonsocket, North Smithfield, and a bit later, Blackstone, Mass.”

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The paper is being bought by Richard Whippen’s Whip It Media.

About the Buyer

Whippen is also the Chief Executive Officer for Washington Suburban Press Network (WSPN) and Media Prowler, both Jeff Bezos Companies.

He is a former GateHouse Media executive in New England — he served as Director of Advertising from 2004 to 2007.

Whippen also worked at the Boston Herald in the advertising department from 1996 to 2002.

The news comes less than a week after Whippen’s former company announced major cuts in Rhode Island, New England and across the country.

As GoLocal reported last week, the latest reports are that as many as six more staffers in the Providence Journal newsroom have been cut, including sports and news staffers.

Managing Editor Alan Rosenberg did not respond to a request for comment on the layoffs. Across the country, GateHouse -- the Providence Journal’s parent company -- slashed a reported 200 jobs on Thursday.

Mike Reed of the Projo's parent company told Business Insider that the cuts were "immaterial" to the company.

“Mike Reed — CEO of GateHouse’s parent company, New Media Investment Group — told Poynter media business analyst Rick Edmonds, ‘We are doing a small restructuring — at least that’s what I would call it — that I’m sure will be misreported. We have 11,000 employees. This involves a couple of hundred,’” reports Poynter.

"Today, @GateHouse_Media laid off 25% of our newsroom. We’re down to six people (including a digital editor and sports editor) to put out a paper seven days a week. Gatehouse decided we no longer needed a night editor and our executive editor. How’s this going to work? #gatehouse," Tweeted Whitney Lehnecker of the Daily Commercial in Leesburg, Florida.

In Worcester, both GateHouse owned publications -- the Telegram and Worcester Magazine -- saw staffing slashed. Worcester Magazine’s editor Walter Bird Jr. was one of the staff reportedly cut. 

Worcester Business Journal reported, "Worcester Magazine’s Editor Walter Bird and Arts & Entertainment Editor Josh Lyford were laid off, leaving reporter Bill Shaner to run the only weekly alternative paper in the city.”

This story was first published 5/29/19 3:39 PM