Several storied titles, including the Northeast Times, The Star newspapers and My Community Trend, are now back out from under the shadows of the big city dailies. In total, 55 community publications, many of which were packaged into the turbulent ownership custody of The Inquirer and the Daily News, are now owned and operated by successful veterans of community paper publishing.
Broad Street Media L.L.C., a new company whose investors include Clifford and Stuart Richner of Richner Communications Inc., along with publishing executive Darwin Oordt, will bring new energy to the group of hometown weeklies had been run as the division, Broad Street Publications. According to a spokesman for the most recent owners, Philadelphia Media Network, operating the community papers whose combined circulation totals over 670,000, "was just not core to our business and we were not succeeding at running that enterprise profitably."
Broad Street Media CEO, Darwin Oordt, plans to change that and has reason to be optimistic with a record of success dating back to 1972. "Philadelphia is a great city and a great market," says Oordt. "Philly has been known for its outstanding newspapers since Benjamin Franklin published the Pennsylvania Gazette here nearly 300 years ago. We intend to continue in that tradition, while bringing these papers into the 21st Century, and further developing a strategic partnership with the Philadelphia Media Network."
The new owners bring with them a wealth of experience in the suburban and community publishing industry. The Richners' principal business is Richner Communications, which publishes 28 community newspapers and shoppers in Long Island, NY. Oordt, an industry veteran who recently served as president of the Maryland Pennysaver, is currently chief executive officer of NJ Media Group, LLC, publisher of the New Jersey Marketeer, a group of shoppers in northern New Jersey also owned by Oordt and the Richners. This is a homecoming of sorts for Oordt who at one time served as chief executive officer of Broad Street Publishing, and who brings with him extensive knowledge of the publications and the greater Philadelphia market.
