Colorado Weeklies, Daily Sold to CMNM

By: E&P Staff Colorado Mountain News Media (CMNM) has purchased four Colorado weeklies and the Daily Tribune from Bill Johnson.

The weeklies are Granby?s Sky-Hi News, the Winter Park Manifest, Kremmling?s Middle Park Times, and the Grand Lake Prospector.

Johnson told the Aspen Times, which reported the acquisition of its parent company: "It?s difficult to say goodbye, but it?s time to move on. Colorado Mountain News Media will bring in new technology and fresh ideas so the papers can move forward."

Johnson owned the papers for almost 30 years.

CMNM?s General Manager Steve Pope said the company intends to keep the papers? local focus. Kim Burner, general manager of the Bargain Hunter, was named publisher of the newspapers.

"CMNM is a really good fit for Grand County," Patrick Brower, editor and publisher of the Sky-Hi News, told the Aspen Times. "Like it or not, growth is coming ? CMNM knows how to handle those changes for the good of the community, the newspaper, and its advertisers. They know what has to be done and they know how to do it."

The Sky-Hi News building was razed in June 2004 when Marv Heemeyer, a "disgruntled loner with a grudge," according to the Aspen Times, used a bulldozer to destroy the building. The paper moved to a new building in May 2005.

CMNM is a division of Swift Communications in Nevada. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.