Freedom Communications
Freedom Communications, Inc., headquartered in Irvine, California, owns 28 daily and 37 weekly newspapers in the US, with a combined daily circulation of more than 1.2 million subscribers. The broadcast division includes eight television stations including five CBS and three ABC network affiliates.
Freedom's flagship newspaper is the Orange County Register, based in Santa Ana, California with a circulation of 360,000. The Register has won three Pulitzer Prizes.
Leadership
Founder and chief executive officer R.C. Hoiles gained a one-third interest in his first newspaper (The Alliance Review in Ohio) sometime in the 1910s. He and his brother Frank bought many more local newspapers over the next several decades. In 1935 he moved his base of operations to Santa Ana, California, and in 1950 he incorporated his syndicate as Freedom Newspapers, Inc. After Hoiles' death in 1970, he was succeeded as CEO by his son C.H. Hoiles (until 1981), and then by:
- D.R. Segal 1981-1992
- James N. Rosse 1992-1999
- Samuel C. Wolgemuth 1999-2002
- Alan Bell 2002-2006
- Scott N. Flanders, 2006-
Properties
Newspapers
- The Telegraph (Alton, IL)
- Desert Dispatch (Barstow, CA)
- The Brownsville Herald (Brownsville, TX)
- Times-News (Burlington, NC)
- Clovis News Journal (Clovis, NM)
- The Gazette (Colorado Springs, CO)
- The Destin Log (Destin, FL)
- Northwest Florida Daily News (Fort Walton Beach, FL)
- The Gaston Gazette (Gastonia, NC)
- Valley Morning Star (Harlingen, TX)
- The Havelock News (Havelock, NC)
- Hesperia Star (Hesperia, CA)
- Jacksonville Journal-Courier (Jacksonville, IL)
- The Daily News (Jacksonville, NC)
- The Free Press (Kinston, NC)
- The Lima News (Lima, OH)
- Appeal-Democrat (Marysville, CA)
- The Monitor (McAllen, TX)
- Sun Journal (New Bern, NC)
- Odessa American (Odessa, TX)
- The News Herald (Panama City, FL)
- East Valley Tribune (Mesa, AZ)
- Ahwatukee Foothill News (Phoenix, AZ)
- Portales News-Tribune (Portales, NM)
- Porterville Recorder (Porterville, CA)
- The Star (Port St. Joe, FL)
- The Orange County Register (Santa Ana, CA)
- OC Post (Orange County, CA)
- The Walton Sun (Santa Rosa Beach, FL)
- Sedalia Democrat (Sedalia, MO)
- The Tribune (Seymour, IN)
- The Shelby Star (Shelby, NC)
- The Topsail Advertiser (Surf City, NC)
- Daily News-Sun (Sun City, AZ)
- The Quay County (Sun Tucumcari, NM)
- Jones Post (Trenton, NC)
- Daily Press (Victorville, CA)
- Mid Valley Town Crier (Weslaco, TX)
- The Sun (Yuma, AZ)
Television stations
Current DMA # | Market | Station | Channel (DT) | Affiliation | Acquired | Notes |
38. | West Palm Beach, Florida | WPEC-TV | 12 (13) | CBS | 1996 | |
39. | Kalamazoo, Michigan | WWMT | 3 (2) | CBS | 1998 | The CW to launch on 3.2 9/2006 |
51. | Providence, Rhode Island | WLNE | 6 (49) | ABC | 1983 | Licenced to New Bedford, Massachusetts Was CBS until 1995 |
55. | Schenectady, New York | WRGB | 6 (39) | CBS | 1986 | |
WCWN | 45 (43) | WB/The CW | 2006 | Sale pending from Tribune Broadcasting | ||
86. | Chattanooga, Tennessee | WTVC | 9 (35) | ABC | 1983 | Freedom's first broadcast property (with KFDM) |
110. | Lansing, Michigan | WLAJ | 53 (51) | ABC | 1998 | Operated by WWMT The CW to launch on 53.2 9/2006 |
140. | Beaumont, Texas | KFDM | 6 (21) | CBS | 1983 | The CW to launch on 6.2 9/2006 |
141. | Medford, Oregon | KTVL | 10 (35) | CBS | 1996 | The CW to launch on 10.2 9/2006 |