Voice Media Group, a new Denver-based holding company, has announced it is purchasing the publishing and sales properties owned by Village Voice Media Publishing Properties. Seattle Weekly is one of the entities being acquired in the deal. The full press release can be found here.

Under the terms of the agreement, Voice Media Group will own and operate the following print publications and corresponding digital properties: Village Voice (New York), LA Weekly (Los Angeles), Westword (Denver), New Times (Phoenix), Houston Press, Dallas Observer, Riverfront Times (St. Louis), New Times (Miami), City Pages (Minneapolis), New Times (Broward), SF Weekly (San Francisco), Seattle Weekly, and OC Weekly (Orange County). Voice Media Group will also purchase and take over VVMH’s national advertising division, which will now be called VMG National. VMG National will continue to sell national advertising for more than 56 partner sites and publications, reaching more than 3 million readers across 56 key metro markets each week.

 

Marc Stiles, the reporter formerly at the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce, is now at the Puget Sound Business Journal, covering the dual beats of commercial real estate and government.

Radio veteran Gregg Hersholt joins the morning show. He was on the air in Oregon for a little while after signing off at KIRO radio in 2010. He was at KIRO for 26 years. Gregg replaces Bill Yeend who retired from the station in April. He will join Manda Factor on the morning news program. Also, Sports Director Tom Glasgow now goes from afternoons to the morning show.

In a few weeks, Tom Hutlyer will join Jane Shannon as the co-host of the KOMO afternoon show. Hutlyer is currently the Public Service Announcer at Safeco Field.

Here is a link to KOMO’s website with all the info.

Longtime Seattle Times columnist Nicole Brodeur announced that she is going to the paper’s NW Arts & Life section, where she will have a weekly Sunday conversation with a local who is doing something great. She’ll spotlight authors, singers, musicians, politicos, leaders, and more. She is calling the column “Nicole & Co.”

On Tuesdays she breaks out with the same column space just a new spin – Names in Bold is  the column. She’ll cover parties, fundraisers, kickoffs and anything else fun in the area. Sounds a little like what Patti Payne has been doing over at the Puget Sound Business Journal – a change for the Times but certainly a sign of the times. And probably what Seattleites want.

Here is her full farewell column and info on her new columns.

The Puget Sound Business Journal and KOMO TV are now partners and will be sharing content as part of a new agreement announced today. It begins tomorrow with the morning newscast. More info on the PSBJ blog here.

Perhaps it is a sign that The Seattle Times is focusing more on its web presence? Sharon Pian Chan (@Sharonpianchan on Twitter) is now the associate opinions editor for digital at the newspaper. Sharon has been at the paper since April 2009.

After spending more than 44 years on air in Seattle, Bill Yeend has officially retired. His last day on KOMO TV was Friday, April 13. KOMO sports reporter and Mariners PA announcer Tom Hutyler is the new morning news anchor with co-host Manda Factor until they decide on a replacement.