Eugene’s Register-Guard newspaper sold

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) – The family that owns The (Eugene) Register-Guard newspaper has agreed to sell it to GateHouse Media, one of the country’s largest publishers of local news.

The newspaper reported the deal Thursday. The purchase price was not disclosed.

The Register-Guard has been owned and operated by the Baker family since 1927, the year Alton Baker Sr. purchased The Eugene Guard. Three years later, he merged the Guard with the Eugene Register.

His grandson, Tony Baker, said Thursday it’s increasingly difficult for a stand-alone, family-owned daily newspaper to compete successfully.

GateHouse Media publishes 630 community publications in 38 states, including 130 daily newspapers, and over 540 websites. It officially takes ownership of The Register-Guard on March 1.

The Register-Guard has 240 full-and part-time employees.

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Information from: The Register-Guard, http://www.registerguard.com