KERA, North Texas’ public radio provider, is looking to acquire the Denton Record-Chronicle, the two announced in a joint press release today.
Denton County’s oldest newspaper has been owned by three entities—two of them family—since its inception in the early 1900s. It now looks like the Record-Chronicle could have a fourth owner by next year.
KERA and the paper’s owners said that both parties are in the discovery phase and plan to complete the deal in 2023. The transaction is being facilitated by The National Trust for Local News, a nonprofit that works to preserve local ownership of news organizations. The Record-Chronicle reached out to the trust for assistance.
“This arrangement gives us the opportunity and the ability to preserve local journalism for the people of Denton County,” said Bill Patterson, owner and publisher of the Record-Chronicle. “As our population continues to grow, it’s imperative that we grow as well. With KERA’s commitment and expertise, our organization will be able to serve our audiences well into the future.”
While the two organizations are hammering out the deal, executives guarantee that the paper’s coverage will remain hyperlocal. “Our audiences and customers can expect to see even more local coverage with more relevance to their daily lives,” Patterson said in the release. “KERA’s history and knowledge of our communities will only help us bring more context and clarity to the issues that matter in North Texas.”
“Local journalism is the bedrock of a strong, healthy community,” said Nico Leone, president and CEO of KERA. “Denton is a thriving city, integral to the makeup of North Texas, and it is growing every day. We couldn’t be more honored to be in these conversations with the legacy paper, and not only sustain, but expand, local reporting in Denton.”
Leone said in the release that the timing was “as much a surprise to us as anyone” but added that the prospect of providing local, reliable news to Denton residents was “our mission and purpose.”
The Denton Record-Chronicle began as the Denton Record and Chronicle after future state representative Charles Edwards purchased and merged the Denton Record and the Denton Chronicle in 1901. By 1906, his brother Robert bought in as half owner, and in 1915, it became known as the Denton Record-Chronicle. The Edwards family sold the enterprise to Marshall News Messenger publisher Riley Cross in 1945. In 1999, Cross’ grandson, Bill Patterson, was named CEO. That same year, the company was sold to A.H. Belo, but by 2017, Patterson repurchased the paper.
This is the second major move KERA has pursued this year. In June, the Dallas City Council approved a plan for the company to operate the city’s classical music station, WRR 101.1 FM. If it buys the paper, KERA will be the only major-market public broadcasting station to offer a PBS station, three radio stations, and a newspaper.
It’s not the first time a public media organization has acquired a local newspaper, however. In January, Chicago Public Media purchased the Chicago Sun-Times, partnering the paper with its public radio station, WBEZ.
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