Stephens Media (newspapers)
Encyclopedia
Stephens Media LLC is a Las Vegas
, Nevada
diversified media holding company
that publishes over 11 daily and 64 weekly newspapers in 9 states, primarily in Nevada and Arkansas.
The company has been expanding its interactive Internet business, where it operates online sites for its newspapers and portal sites like LasVegas.com, which is licensed to Greenspun Media Group
. The company co-owns hawaii.com with Gannett. The company is also a partner in the California Newspapers Partnership with MediaNews and Gannett. The company also formed in November 2009 a joint venture with WEHCO Media, Inc. in Arkansas.
On November 12, 2010, Michael Ferguson, the company's Chief Operating Officer, was promoted to CEO. The previous CEO, Sherman Frederick, will remain with Stephens Media in a consultant role and write a weekly column for Stephens Media newspapers. Mark Hinueber is Vice President, General Counsel and Director of Human Resources.
On November 28, 2010, Stephens Media Iowa, LLC, a subsidiary of Stephens Media, acquired several newspapers including the Ames Tribune, Boone News-Republican, Dallas County News, Nevada Journal, Ames About People & Advertiser, Tri-County Times, and Algona Upper Des Moines from Midlands Newspapers, Inc., a subsidiary of the Omaha World-Herald Company.
and based in Fort Smith
, Arkansas
. Reynolds died in 1993. The company was then sold to the Stephens family of Arkansas, best known for their investment banking business Stephens Inc.
in Little Rock. Some of Donrey's properties were sold off, and the company moved its headquarters to Las Vegas, home of its largest newspaper, the Las Vegas Review-Journal
. The company was re-named Stephens Media Group in 2002. In June 2006, the company became known as Stephens Media LLC. The company has no connection with Stephens Media Group, a radio broadcasting company in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
, giving it the power to enforce the company's copyrights when online violators go beyond the bounds of fair use. More than 141 lawsuits have been filed in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas since mid-March.
In a column published in the RJ shortly after the lawsuits began, Publisher Sherman Frederick, said the primary goal with the partnership with Righthaven was to deter theft of the company's copyrighted materials. He said if the company was successful, he hoped Righthaven would find other media clients. In late August, WEHCO Media, which owns the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and the Chattanooga Times Free Press, signed on with the firm. MediaNews Group has also used Righthaven to file a copyright infringement suit.
The aggressive enforcement of the Stephens Media copyrights by Righthaven is being closely watched by other publishers, as is the debate it has generated. Critics of the relatively new practice have coined it 'copyright troll
ing', and argue that the purpose of such enforcement is to make a profit. In the Poynter article, Stephens Media general counsel Mark Hinueber says the goal is to make sure the company's intellectual rights are protected. "We were seeing our entire work product in some stories just being right-clicked and cut and pasted into blogs, where people were selling Google ads around them and making money." The Las Vegas Sun has been thoroughly documenting Righthaven's activities and the response. The Sun's outside law firm, Lewis and Roca, is defending several of the Righthaven suits.
Targets of the Righthaven lawsuits have included bloggers political forums, major political parties, and several of the newspaper's own sources including NORML, DailyPaul.com, Infowars, Free Republic, and others. On August 25, 2010, the Electronic Frontier Foundation
announced that they will make efforts to assist Righthaven LLC defendants to the best of their ability.
Righthaven's lawsuits are currently coming under increasing judicial scrutiny, and Righthaven has been found, in June 2011, to lack standing to sue for alleged infringement of copyrighted material to which it holds only a limited license, as such a license does not confer the right to sue for infringement. Sanctions against Righthaven and its attorney, Steven A. Gibson, of Nevada law firm Dickinson Wright, are currently being contemplated by one judge. In response to these developments, Righthaven and Stephens Media have attempted to amend their joint venture agreement (it is now called the "Strategic Alliance Agreement") but critics point out that even this new agreement should fail to confer standing on Righthaven in the cases it has filed.
Stephens Media publishes the newspapers of Northwest Arkansas Newspapers and is responsible for editorial content while WEHCO Media controls the advertising, business, production and web operations.
Newspapers in the joint venture include:
The Springdale Morning News
The Rogers Morning News
Northwest Arkansas Times
Benton County Daily Record
Hawaii
Iowa
Nevada
North Carolina
Oklahoma
Texas
Tennessee
Washington
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
diversified media holding company
Holding company
A holding company is a company or firm that owns other companies' outstanding stock. It usually refers to a company which does not produce goods or services itself; rather, its purpose is to own shares of other companies. Holding companies allow the reduction of risk for the owners and can allow...
that publishes over 11 daily and 64 weekly newspapers in 9 states, primarily in Nevada and Arkansas.
The company has been expanding its interactive Internet business, where it operates online sites for its newspapers and portal sites like LasVegas.com, which is licensed to Greenspun Media Group
Greenspun Media Group
Greenspun Media Group is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Greenspun Corporation.-Properties:*, Vegas' business newspaper.*, an alternative weekly newspaper....
. The company co-owns hawaii.com with Gannett. The company is also a partner in the California Newspapers Partnership with MediaNews and Gannett. The company also formed in November 2009 a joint venture with WEHCO Media, Inc. in Arkansas.
On November 12, 2010, Michael Ferguson, the company's Chief Operating Officer, was promoted to CEO. The previous CEO, Sherman Frederick, will remain with Stephens Media in a consultant role and write a weekly column for Stephens Media newspapers. Mark Hinueber is Vice President, General Counsel and Director of Human Resources.
On November 28, 2010, Stephens Media Iowa, LLC, a subsidiary of Stephens Media, acquired several newspapers including the Ames Tribune, Boone News-Republican, Dallas County News, Nevada Journal, Ames About People & Advertiser, Tri-County Times, and Algona Upper Des Moines from Midlands Newspapers, Inc., a subsidiary of the Omaha World-Herald Company.
History
The company was formerly called Donrey Media Group, which was founded by Arkansas media mogul Donald W. ReynoldsDonald W. Reynolds
Donald W. Reynolds was an American businessman and philanthropist. During his lifetime, he was best known for his involvement in the Donrey Media Group.-Biography:...
and based in Fort Smith
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith is the second-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. With a population of 86,209 in 2010, it is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region of 298,592 residents which encompasses the Arkansas...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
. Reynolds died in 1993. The company was then sold to the Stephens family of Arkansas, best known for their investment banking business Stephens Inc.
Stephens Inc.
Stephens Inc. is a full service, privately owned investment bank based in Little Rock, Arkansas.-History:Stephens Inc. was founded in 1933 by W.R. Witt Stephens. His brother, Jackson T. Stephens joined the firm in 1946 and served as Chairman of the Board and CEO of Stephens Inc. from 1956 to 1986....
in Little Rock. Some of Donrey's properties were sold off, and the company moved its headquarters to Las Vegas, home of its largest newspaper, the Las Vegas Review-Journal
Las Vegas Review-Journal
The Las Vegas Review-Journal is published in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. It is the largest circulating daily newspaper in Nevada, and one of two daily newspapers in Las Vegas . It is the flagship publication of Stephens Media LLC...
. The company was re-named Stephens Media Group in 2002. In June 2006, the company became known as Stephens Media LLC. The company has no connection with Stephens Media Group, a radio broadcasting company in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Copyright infringements
In 2010, Stephens Media contracted with the litigation firm Righthaven LLCRighthaven LLC
Righthaven LLC is a copyright holding company founded in early 2010, which enters agreements from its partner newspapers after finding that their content has been copied to online sites without permission, in order to engage in litigation against the site owners for copyright infringement...
, giving it the power to enforce the company's copyrights when online violators go beyond the bounds of fair use. More than 141 lawsuits have been filed in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas since mid-March.
In a column published in the RJ shortly after the lawsuits began, Publisher Sherman Frederick, said the primary goal with the partnership with Righthaven was to deter theft of the company's copyrighted materials. He said if the company was successful, he hoped Righthaven would find other media clients. In late August, WEHCO Media, which owns the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and the Chattanooga Times Free Press, signed on with the firm. MediaNews Group has also used Righthaven to file a copyright infringement suit.
The aggressive enforcement of the Stephens Media copyrights by Righthaven is being closely watched by other publishers, as is the debate it has generated. Critics of the relatively new practice have coined it 'copyright troll
Copyright troll
A copyright troll is a pejorative term for a party that enforces copyrights it owns for purposes of making money through litigation, in a manner considered unduly aggressive or opportunistic, generally without producing or licensing its own works for paid distribution...
ing', and argue that the purpose of such enforcement is to make a profit. In the Poynter article, Stephens Media general counsel Mark Hinueber says the goal is to make sure the company's intellectual rights are protected. "We were seeing our entire work product in some stories just being right-clicked and cut and pasted into blogs, where people were selling Google ads around them and making money." The Las Vegas Sun has been thoroughly documenting Righthaven's activities and the response. The Sun's outside law firm, Lewis and Roca, is defending several of the Righthaven suits.
Targets of the Righthaven lawsuits have included bloggers political forums, major political parties, and several of the newspaper's own sources including NORML, DailyPaul.com, Infowars, Free Republic, and others. On August 25, 2010, the Electronic Frontier Foundation
Electronic Frontier Foundation
The Electronic Frontier Foundation is an international non-profit digital rights advocacy and legal organization based in the United States...
announced that they will make efforts to assist Righthaven LLC defendants to the best of their ability.
Righthaven's lawsuits are currently coming under increasing judicial scrutiny, and Righthaven has been found, in June 2011, to lack standing to sue for alleged infringement of copyrighted material to which it holds only a limited license, as such a license does not confer the right to sue for infringement. Sanctions against Righthaven and its attorney, Steven A. Gibson, of Nevada law firm Dickinson Wright, are currently being contemplated by one judge. In response to these developments, Righthaven and Stephens Media have attempted to amend their joint venture agreement (it is now called the "Strategic Alliance Agreement") but critics point out that even this new agreement should fail to confer standing on Righthaven in the cases it has filed.
Joint Venture
In September 2009, Stephens Media and WEHCO Media Inc., owner of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, announced plans to combine their newspaper operations in Northwest Arkansas and operate as a single company. The venture was approved in November 2009 by the U.S. Justice Department and a new Arkansas Limited Liabilty Company, Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC, was formed.Stephens Media publishes the newspapers of Northwest Arkansas Newspapers and is responsible for editorial content while WEHCO Media controls the advertising, business, production and web operations.
Newspapers in the joint venture include:
The Springdale Morning News
The Rogers Morning News
Northwest Arkansas Times
Benton County Daily Record
Holdings
- Stephens Press
- "Hawgs Illustrated" magazine, Springdale, Ark., part of joint venture with WEHCO Media
- "Luxury Las Vegas" magazine, Las Vegas, Nevada
- Arkansasnews.com The company also publishes an online-only site focused on state politics,
Newspapers by State
Arkansas- Southwest Times RecordSouthwest Times RecordThe Southwest Times Record is a daily newspaper in Fort Smith, Arkansas and covers much of western Arkansas, southeastern Oklahoma, and a portion of northeastern Oklahoma...
, Fort Smith, Ark. (DAILY)
- Press Argus Courier, Van Buren, Ark. (twice Weekly, Wed. & Sat.)
- Booneville Democrat, Booneville, Ark. (Weekly, Wed.)
- Charleston Express, Charleston, Ark. (Weekly, Wed.)
- Greenwood Democrat, Greenwood, Ark. (Weekly, Wed.)
- Paris Express, Paris, Ark. (Weekly, Wed.)
- White Hall Progress, White Hall, Ark. (Weekly, Wed.)
- Central Arkansas weeklies (group of weely newspapers that operates under one publisher)
- North Little Rock Times, North Little Rock, Ark. (Weekly, Thur.)
- Jacksonville Patriot, Jacksonville, Ark. (Weekly, Wed.)
- Sherwood Voice, Sherwood, Ark. (Weekly, Thur.)
- Maumelle Monitor, Maumelle, Ark. (Weekly, Wed.)
- Cabot Star-Herald, Cabot, Ark. (Weekly, Wed.)
- Lonoke Democrat, Lonoke, Ark. (Weekly, Thur.)
- Carlisle Independent, Carlisle, Ark. (Weekly, Wed.)
- Hot Springs Village Voice, Hot Springs Village, Ark. (Weekly, Wed.)
- Van Buren County Democrat, Clinton, Ark. (Weekly, Thur.)
- The Springdale Morning News (no longer solely owned by Stephens Media,is part of Northwest Arkansas Newspapers, LLC)
- Lincoln Leader, Lincoln, Ark. (Weekly, Wed.)
- Farmington Post, Farmington, Ark. (Weekly, Wed.)
- Prairie Grove Enterprise, Prairie Grove, Ark. (Weekly, Wed.)
- Times of Northeast Benton CountyTimes of Northeast Benton CountyThe Times of Northeast Benton County is a weekly newspaper with a 1,300-1,400 circulation located in Pea Ridge, Arkansas, located in the northeast corner of Benton County...
, Pea Ridge, Ark. (Weekly, Wed.)
Hawaii
- Hawaii Tribune-HeraldHawaii Tribune-HeraldHawaii Tribune-Herald is a newspaper that is owned and published daily in Hilo, Hawaii by Stephens Media LLC.-History:Hawaii Tribune-Herald resulted from several mergers of Hilo-area newspapers...
, Hilo, HI (DAILY)
- Big Island Weekly, Hilo, HI (Weekly, Wed.)
West Hawaii TodayWest Hawaii Today is a Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i based daily newspaper. It is owned and published by Stephens Media, LLC.-History:West Hawaii Today began in 1962 as a special weekly edition of Hilo Tribune-Herald. Known as the Kona Tribune-Herald it continued in 1964 as a weekly.From late 1964 until...
, Kailua-Kona, HI (DAILY) - North Hawaii News, Waimea, HI (Weekly, Thur.)
Iowa
- Ames TribuneAmes TribuneThe Tribune is a newspaper published Tuesday through Sunday based in Ames, Iowa. The newspaper is owned by Las Vegas-based company Stephens Media. Its publisher, Geoff Schumacher, replaced Tom Stallbaumer, who replaced John Goossen, who left in November 2010 when Stephens purchased the Tribune from...
, Ames, IA (DAILY)
- Boone News-Republican, Boone, IA (DAILY)
- Dallas County News, (Weekly)
- Algona Upper Des Moines, Algona, IA (Weekly)
- Nevada Journal, Nevada, IA (Weekly)
- Tri-County Times, Nevada, IA (Weekly)
- Ames Sun, Ames, IA (Weekly)
- Story County Advertiser, Ames, IA (Weekly)
Nevada
- Las Vegas Review-JournalLas Vegas Review-JournalThe Las Vegas Review-Journal is published in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. It is the largest circulating daily newspaper in Nevada, and one of two daily newspapers in Las Vegas . It is the flagship publication of Stephens Media LLC...
, Las Vegas, NV (DAILY)
- Las Vegas CityLife, Las Vegas, NV (Weekly, Thur.)
- El Tiempo, Las Vegas, NV (Weekly, Fri.)
- Las Vegas Business Press, Las Vegas, NV (Weekly, Mon.)
- Boulder City Review, Boulder City, NV (Weekly, Thur.)
- Ely Times, Ely, NV (Weekly, Fri.)
- Rebel Nation, Las Vegas, NV (Monthly, 1st of month)
- Pahrump Valley Times, Pahrump, NV (twice Weekly, Wed. & Fri.)
- Eureka Sentinal, Eureka, NV (twice Weekly, Wed. & Fri.)
- Tonopah Times-Bonanza, Tonopah, NV (twice Weekly, Wed. & Fri.)
- Lincoln County Record (Weekly)
North Carolina
- Courier-Tribune, Asheboro, NC (DAILY)
Oklahoma
- Bartlesville Examiner-EnterpriseBartlesville Examiner-EnterpriseThe Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise is a daily newspaper in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. It is owned and published by Stephens Media LLC.- Subsidiary Publications :* Pawhuska Journal-Capital , * Hometown Shopper ,...
, Bartlesville, OK (DAILY)
- Pawhuska Journal-Capital, Pawhuska, OK (twice Weekly, Wed. & Sat.)
Texas
- The Herald DemocratThe Herald DemocratThe Herald Democrat is a daily newspaper located in the twin cities of Sherman and Denison, Texas, United States, about 60 miles north of Dallas and 10 miles south of the Red River and Lake Texoma. It is owned and published by Stephens Media LLC...
, Sherman/Denison TX (DAILY)
- Anna-Melissa Tribune, Anna, TX (Weekly)
- Grayson County Shopper, Sherman, TX (Weekly)
- Prosper Press, Prosper, TX (Weekly)
- Van Alstyne Leader, Van Alstyne, TX (Weekly)
- Lake Texoma Life, Kingston, TX (Monthly, 1st of month)
Tennessee
- The Daily HeraldDaily Herald (Columbia, Tennessee)The The Daily Herald is a daily newspaper in Columbia, Tennessee. It is owned and published by Stephens Media LLC. The newspaper is published six days a week Sunday through Friday, the paper does not publish on Saturday. Although it is primarily distributed to Maury County, Tennessee its Newspaper...
, Columbia, TN (DAILY)
- The Advertiser NewsThe Advertiser NewsThe The Advertiser News is a weekly newspaper in Spring Hill, Tennessee. It is owned and published by Stephens Media LLC. The newspaper is published once a week, every Wednesday. Its Newspaper Designated Market stretches into two cities in two separate counties in Middle Tennessee...
, Spring Hill, TN (Weekly, Wed.) - The Value Guide, Columbia, TN (Weekly, Tues.)
- Franklin Life, Franklin, TN (Monthly, 15th of month)
- Brentwood Life, Brentwood, TN (Monthly, 1st of month)
- Healthy Living, Columbia, TN (Monthly, 3rd Wed. each month)
Washington
- The Daily WorldThe Daily WorldThe Daily World is the leading daily newspaper in Aberdeen, Washington, United States. Serving Grays Harbor County and northern Pacific County counties since 1889, The Daily World is the only daily newspaper on the coast of Washington state....
, Aberdeen, WA (DAILY)
- The Vidette, Montesano, WA (Weekly, Thur.)
- The North Coast News, Ocean Shores, WA (Weekly, Wed.)
- The South Beach Bulletin, Westport, WA (Weekly, Wed.)
- East County News, Elma, WA (Weekly, Wed.)
News Bureaus
- Carson City, NevadaCarson City, NevadaThe Consolidated Municipality of Carson City is the capital of the state of Nevada. The words Consolidated Municipality refer to a series of changes in 1969 which abolished Ormsby County and merged all the settlements contained within its borders into Carson City. Since that time Carson City has...
- Washington, DC
- Little Rock, ArkansasLittle Rock, ArkansasLittle Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
http://arkansasnews.com/