Iowa Information Media Group buys The Record in Moville

We are excited about adding the talented Record staff as part of our team. They are who make The Record what it is.”

Jeff Wagner, president, Iowa Information Media Group

The Record has a new owner.

The paper has been acquired by Iowa Information Media Group, owned by the Wagner family and based in Sheldon, Iowa. The sale was effective Jan. 31.

“We are pleased to add The Record to the titles we own and publish,” said Jeff Wagner, the company’s president and second generation of the family-owned media company. “The Record, with its proximity to our papers in Le Mars and Remsen and corporate office in Sheldon, is a perfect fit for our operation.

“We believe in the importance of community newspapers and the vital role they play in our communities. A strong community newspaper is a reflection of the cities it covers.”

The Record’s office and current staff will remain in Moville with operations continuing under the personnel who have been serving the communities in various capacities for many years. 

“We are excited about adding the talented Record staff as part of our team,” said Wagner. “They are who make The Record what it is.”

This is the sixth area newspaper acquisition for the Wagner family in the last year and a half as they purchased The Osceola County Gazette-Tribune in April 2021, followed by the Le Mars Sentinel and Remsen Bell in May, and the Carroll Times Herald and Jefferson Herald in December. The family is best known for its flagship newspaper The N’West Iowa REVIEW, Iowa’s largest weekly newspaper.

With the publishing world continuing to evolve, Wagner noted the importance of finding synergies and savings and noted growing through acquisition is the best way the company can do that while continuing to serve its audiences.

The Record has been printed by White Wolf Web, the sister company of Iowa Information, since May. White Wolf prints more than 125 newspaper titles each week, delivered in a radius of 280 miles from Sheldon. Together, White Wolf Web and Iowa Information employ more than 120 people.

The Record has a weekly circulation of 1,875 copies.

The Wagner publishing company was started in 1962 by Peter W. and Connie Wagner. Jeff Wagner, president, and his wife Myrna, vice president of operations, are the second generation of family members involved in day-to-day operations of the business. The company is transitioning to a third generation of leadership with their son, Sam Wagner, involved in day-to-day operations in both companies.

In addition to the newspapers mentioned above, Iowa Information’s other titles include The Sheldon Mail-Sun, Sioux Center News and Hawarden Independent/Ireton Examiner. They also publish OKOBOJI Magazine, DISCOVER! and its websites, including  nwestiowa.com.

The Record was created in 2014 with the merger of The Moville Record, The Kingsley News-Times and The Sioux Valley News. 

Kent Baker purchased The Moville Record in 2000 and served as publisher of The Record until 2015. Blake Stubbs has been the editor and publisher since then and will be involved during the transition.

“I’m excited about The Record’s future with the Wagner family,” said Stubbs. “Iowa Information has the staff and the resources available to ensure The Record will be a great community newspaper for decades to come.”