 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Genre | Technology |
| Founded | 1873 |
| Headquarters | 150 Granby Street Norfolk, Virginia 23510-2075 |
Key people | Charles Watkins (president and CEO) |
| Subsidiaries | Dominion Enterprises |
Landmark Media Enterprises, LLC (a spinoff of Landmark Communications, Inc.) is a privately held technology company headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia.
The Norfolk Landmark was established in 1873. It had various editors. [1] K. C. Murray was one of them. He testified in suit against another paper for slander. [2] Lucien D. Starke, a former state legislator, was one of its presidents. [3]
Norfolk Newspapers was founded in 1905 as a holding company for the newspaper properties of Samuel L. Slover, including the Norfolk Landmark. They included papers which would eventually become today's Virginian-Pilot .
Frank Batten, Slover's nephew, took over the company in 1955, and changed its name to Norfolk-Portsmouth Newspapers Inc. in 1957 (reflecting the merger of the Norfolk Ledger-Dispatch and Portsmouth Star), then to Landmark Communications in 1967. [4] Landmark Media Enterprises was spun off from Landmark Communications in 2008. [5] Landmark is controlled by the Batten family.
Landmark owns Dominion Enterprises, which provides software as a service and information products to auto dealers, motorcycle dealers, real estate agents, hotels and franchisors. The businesses owned by Dominion Enterprises include DominionDMS, Activator, Dealer Specialties, Cross-Sell, DataOne Software, Prime Street, Franchise Ventures, DX1, ZiiDMS, and Travel Media Group.
One of Landmark Communications's holdings was TeleCable Corporation, a cable television service that began in a small Virginia town in the late 1950s. Landmark obtained franchise licenses to operate in about two dozen cities throughout the eastern half of the U.S., including Overland Park, Kansas; Plano & Arlington, Texas; Bloomington, Illinois; Racine, Wisconsin; Springfield, Missouri; Wytheville & Princeton, Virginia; Selma, Alabama, and other cities. TeleCable was a progressive company that inspired HBO 2, Disney 2, and Showtime 2 in Overland Park, Kansas. Prior to the 1980s, technology enabled subscribers to receive only 12 channels on a CATV system. TeleCable built two CATV systems in one when the franchise was granted in Overland Park in the late 1960s. Customers had A/B switches at their TVs so they could select either set of channels. This gave TeleCable of Overland Park twice as many channels (24) as other CATV companies. With advances in technology, TeleCable of Overland Park was able to double the number offered to 48 channels. In the early 1980s, there were very few satellite channels, and the pay cable channels typically signed off the air before midnight on weeknights (later on the weekends). Customers complained to TeleCable of Overland Park that they missed the 7 p.m. movie start due to late working hours, dinner, or children's activities. TeleCable management contacted HBO, Showtime, and The Disney Channel to ask to receive the Eastern Time Zone satellite feed of their programs for its Central Time Zone operation. TeleCable officials planned to charge customers who requested this expanded service an extra 50 cents per month. The movie channels dismissed the idea, believing no one would pay for that option. After several months, management had the full attention of the networks, as thousands were signing up. The sole benefit for customers was a one-hour earlier start for movies and other programs. But HBO and Showtime soon decided to create separate services for those channels. Disney followed suit a few years later.
Landmark's predecessor, Norfolk Newspapers, entered broadcasting in 1930, when it bought Virginia's oldest radio station, WTAR. It later added Virginia's second television station (and Hampton Roads' first), WTAR-TV (now WTKR) and an FM station (now WVKL). It acquired WFMY-TV in Greensboro as part of its purchase of the Greensboro, North Carolina newspapers in 1965. However, U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) cross-ownership rules forced Landmark to sell off WFMY in 1976 and WTAR-TV in 1981. Under the rules then, a company could not own both a newspaper and a television station in the same market.
Landmark was an owner of KNTV in San Jose, California from 1978 to 1990. During its 12-year ownership of the station, KNTV (then affiliated with ABC and serving the Monterey / Salinas media market) was its only station that was not an affiliate of the CBS network. Landmark briefly owned WDBJ-TV in Roanoke, Virginia, but was forced to sell it immediately due to FCC restrictions. Landmark owned The Travel Channel from 1992 to 1996, when it was sold to Paxson Communications.
The company owned Chicago magazine from 1990 to 1995, when it was sold to Primedia. At one time, Landmark owned a minority share of the Washingtonian magazine, until its rights were traded to Eleanor Merrill, widow of its publisher Philip Merrill, in exchange for full ownership of the Annapolis Capital and five other Maryland newspapers. [6]
Landmark owned the hobby publisher Antique Trader Publications until its sale to Krause Publications in 1999. [7] In December 2001, Landmark announced it would close its subsidiary Church Impressions, based in Greenville, North Carolina, which published church directories, portraits, and other print and web media products.
Landmark once owned four career training schools that focus on health-related career education: Glendale Career College, Certified Careers Institute, Nevada Career Institute and Virginia Career Institute.
On September 19, 2007, it was announced that Continental Broadband (CB), a Landmark Communications (Landmark Media Enterprises) company, sold its South Florida business unit, WebUnited, to Host.net, the leading provider of data center (colocation) and managed network services in Florida. [8] On May 15, 2009, CB sold its Chicago business unit, ANET, to Cogent Communications, a global Internet service provider. On January 23, 2010, CB divested its Richmond Business Unit, NET Telcos, to Cavalier Telephone, a full-service provider of telecommunications solutions.
In early 2008, the Landmark confirmed that it was exploring the sale of the entire company. [9] Two separate investment banks, JPMorgan Chase and Lehman Brothers, were hired to help with the sale of The Weather Channel and the newspapers.
Landmark's best-known media outlet was the Weather Channel, based in Atlanta, Georgia. As part of its divestiture, the company announced in July 2008 the $3.5 billion sale of its Weather Channel properties, which included its share of The Weather Network and weather.com, plus Weather Services International and MétéoMédia, to a consortium comprising NBCUniversal and the private equity firms Blackstone Group and Bain Capital. Landmark and NBC Universal completed the sale on September 12, 2008. [10]
On July 14 of that year, it was announced that WTVF in Nashville, Tennessee would be sold to Bonten Media Group, [11] but that sale did not close. Landmark eventually sold the station to Journal Communications in 2012. [12]
In October 2008, the company suspended further sales of its properties, citing the ongoing credit crisis, with the exception of The Virginian-Pilot newspaper. [13]
On January 31, 2013, Landmark sold the News & Record newspaper in Greensboro, North Carolina to Berkshire Hathaway. In May 2013, Landmark sold the Roanoke Times , the metropolitan newspaper serving Roanoke, Virginia, also to Berkshire Hathaway. [14]
Landmark sold its Maryland newspapers to The Baltimore Sun Media Group on May 1, 2014. [15]
CBS affiliate KLAS-TV, based in Las Vegas, Nevada, was acquired by Landmark in 1978 from a trust left by Howard Hughes upon his death. On November 21, 2014, Nexstar Broadcasting Group announced that it planned to purchase KLAS for $145 million. [16] The sale closed on February 13, 2015.
In July 2016, Dominion Enterprises sold Dominion Marine Media (BoatTrader.com, YachtWorld.com, Boats.com) to funds advised by Apax Partners. [17] The company is now Boats Group.
In May 2017, Dominion Enterprises sold Dominion Web Solutions (CycleTrader.com, RVTrader.com, CommercialTruckTrader.com, EquipmentTrader.com) to Eurazeo and West Street Capital Partners VII, a fund managed by the Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking Division, for $680 million. [18] The company is now called Trader Interactive.
On Sept. 12, 2017, CoStar Group agreed to purchase the ForRent apartment advertising division of Dominion Enterprises in exchange for $350 million in cash and $35 million in CoStar Group stock. [19]
In May 2018, Landmark sold The Virginian-Pilot and its associated publications and websites to Tribune Publishing for $34 million. [20]
In October 2019, Landmark sold Expedient Data Centers to AMP Capital for $500 million. [21]
In November 2020, Landmark sold its remaining Colorado newspapers (Brighton Standard Blade, Fort Lupton Press, Commerce City Sentinel Express, Metro Advertiser, Canyon Courier, Clear Creek Courant and 285 Hustler) to Colorado Community Media. [22]
In April 2021, Landmark announced the sale of Homes.com, a unit of its Dominion Enterprises subsidiary, to CoStar Group Inc. for $156 million. [23]
Landmark formerly owned more than 50 community newspapers and special-interest publications in 11 states. That includes seven publications that cover college sports at Florida State University, University of Florida, Indiana University, University of Iowa (Voice of The Hawkeyes), University of Nebraska, University of Kentucky and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and two daily newspapers: Citrus County Chronicle of Crystal River, Florida and The News-Enterprise of Elizabethtown, Kentucky.
| Name | U.S. state | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Anderson News | Kentucky | Newspaper |
| Brunswick Beacon | North Carolina | Newspaper |
| Carolina Blue | North Carolina | Sports Publication |
| Carolina Gateway | South Carolina | Newspaper |
| Carrollton News-Democrat | Kentucky | Newspaper |
| Casey County News | Kentucky | Newspaper |
| Cedar Key Beacon | Florida | Newspaper |
| Central Kentucky Homes | Kentucky | Real Estate Magazine |
| Central Kentucky News-Journal | Kentucky | Newspaper |
| Chester News And Reporter | South Carolina | Newspaper |
| Chiefland Citizen | Florida | Newspaper |
| Citrus County Chronicle | Florida | Newspaper |
| Cynthiana Democrat | Kentucky | Newspaper |
| Declaration | Virginia | Newspaper |
| Gadsden County Times | Florida | Newspaper |
| Gator Bait | Florida | Sports Publication |
| Grant County News and Express | Kentucky | Newspaper |
| Henry County Local | Kentucky | Newspaper |
| Huskers Illustrated | Nebraska | Sports Publication |
| Inside Indiana | Indiana | Sports Publication |
| Lafollette Press | Tennessee | Newspaper |
| Las Vegas Optic | New Mexico | Newspaper |
| Lebanon Enterprise | Kentucky | Newspaper |
| Los Alamos Monitor | New Mexico | Newspaper |
| Morgan County News | Tennessee | Newspaper |
| Mt. Vernon Democrat | Indiana | Newspaper |
| Oldham Era | Kentucky | Newspaper |
| Opinion-Tribune | Iowa | Newspaper |
| Owenton News-Herald | Kentucky | Newspaper |
| Pageland Progressive-Journal | South Carolina | Newspaper |
| Perry County News | Indiana | Newspaper |
| Pioneer News | Kentucky | Newspaper |
| PLG-TV | Kentucky | Television station |
| Red Oak Express | Iowa | Newspaper |
| Riverland News | Florida | Newspaper |
| Roane County News | Tennessee | Newspaper |
| Sentinel-News | Kentucky | Newspaper |
| South Marion Citizen | Florida | Newspaper |
| Spencer County Journal-Democrat | Indiana | Newspaper |
| Spencer Magnet | Kentucky | Newspaper |
| Springfield Sun | Kentucky | Newspaper |
| Standard Publishing Company | Kentucky | Newspaper |
| Sumter County Times | Florida | Newspaper |
| The Bedford Bulletin | Virginia | Newspaper |
| The Cats' Pause | Kentucky | Sports Publication |
| The Gazette | Virginia | Newspaper |
| The Kentucky Standard | Kentucky | Newspaper |
| The Lancaster News | South Carolina | Newspaper |
| The Larue County Herald-News | Kentucky | Newspaper |
| The News-Enterprise | Kentucky | Newspaper |
| The Osceola | Florida | Sports Publication |
| The Record | Kentucky | Newspaper |
| The Wakulla News | Florida | Newspaper |
| Trimble Banner | Kentucky | Newspaper |
| Vandalia Leader-Union | Illinois | Newspaper |
| West Marion Messenger | Florida | Newspaper |
| Williston Pioneer Sun News | Florida | Newspaper |
In May 2021, Landmark Community Newspapers was sold to Paxton Media Group. [25]
Stations are alphabetically by state and city of license.
| City of license / market | Station | Channel | Years owned | Current ownership status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose–San Francisco–Oakland, CA | KNTV | 11 | 1978–1990 | NBC owned-and-operated (O&O) |
| Las Vegas, NV | KLAS-TV | 8 | 1978–2014 | CBS affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group |
| Greensboro–Winston-Salem–High Point, NC | WFMY-TV | 2 | 1965–1976 | CBS affiliate owned by Tegna Inc. |
| Nashville, TN | WTVF | 5 | 1994–2012 | CBS affiliate owned by E. W. Scripps Company |
| Norfolk–Hampton, VA | WTAR-TV ** | 3 | 1950–1981 | CBS affiliate WTKR, owned by E. W. Scripps Company |
| Roanoke–Lynchburg, VA | WDBJ-TV | 7 | 1969 | CBS affiliate owned by Gray Television |
In 2008, Landmark announced that it would terminate its pension fund, which covered some of its retirees and current employees. The plan was fully funded. The pension beneficiaries were able to choose between a lump-sum distribution or an annuity provided by an insurance company.[ citation needed ]
Cox Enterprises, Inc. is an American privately held global conglomerate headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, with approximately 55,000 employees and $21 billion in total revenue. Its major operating subsidiaries are Cox Media Group, Cox Communications, and Cox Automotive. The company's major national brands include AutoTrader, Kelley Blue Book, Manheim Auctions and more.
Media General was an American media company based in Richmond, Virginia. The company's origins can be traced back to 1887 when Richmond attorney Joseph Bryan acquired The Richmond Daily Times, which later became The Richmond Times-Dispatch. Joseph Bryan's son, John Stewart Bryan succeeded his father as owner and publisher of the Times-Dispatch, which merged with The Richmond News Leader in 1940 to form Richmond Newspapers, Inc.
The E. W. Scripps Company, also known as Scripps, is an American broadcasting company founded in 1878 as a chain of daily newspapers by Edward Willis "E. W." Scripps and his sister, Ellen Browning Scripps. It was also formerly a media conglomerate. The company is headquartered at the Scripps Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its corporate motto is "Give light and the people will find their own way", which is symbolized by the media empire's longtime lighthouse logo. In terms of market reach, Scripps is the second largest operator of ABC affiliates, behind the Sinclair Broadcast Group, and ahead of Hearst Television and Tegna. Scripps also owns a number of free-to-air multi-genre digital subchannel multicast networks through its Scripps Networks division, including the Ion Television network and Scripps News.
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Frank Batten was an American billionaire businessman, and co-founder of the first nationwide, 24-hour cable weather channel, The Weather Channel. His media company, Landmark Media Enterprises, once owned nine daily newspapers, more than 50 weekly newspapers, television stations in Las Vegas and Nashville, and a national chain of classified advertising publications.
WVNS-TV is a television station licensed to Lewisburg, West Virginia, United States, serving the Bluefield–Beckley–Oak Hill market as an affiliate of CBS, Fox, and MyNetworkTV. The station is owned by Nexstar Media Group, and has studios on Old Cline Road in Ghent, West Virginia; its transmitter is near Alderson, West Virginia.
Block Communications Inc. is an American privately held holding company of various assets, mainly in the print and broadcast media, based in Toledo, Ohio. The company was founded in 1900 in New York City when Paul Block, a German-Jewish immigrant who came to the United States in 1885, formed an ad representation firm for newspapers. The Block empire grew to encompass many newspapers on the east coast of the US, however with the Great Depression in the 1930s came the loss of all but three properties: the ad representation firm, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and the Toledo Blade. After Block's death in 1941, his children took over the company. They eventually passed it on to their grandchildren, who continue to operate it to this day. In May 2024, a lawsuit to stop the sale of the company, and over control it, revealed that Allan Block and John Block each own 25%, while the other 50% is owned by family trusts that benefit family members.
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