Prairie Mountain Media

Prairie Mountain Media is an American newspaper publishing company focused on Colorado community and regional journalism. Its portfolio includes large metropolitan, regional, and local publications, most notably The Denver Post, as well as newspapers serving communities along Colorado's Front Range and across the eastern part of the state. The company operates within the Digital First Media portfolio, which is owned by Alden Global Capital. The business developed from a 2006 partnership between E. W. Scripps Company and MediaNews Group, Inc. The two companies established Colorado Publishing Co. to operate newspapers based in eastern Colorado, with each partner holding a 50 percent interest. In 2009, MediaNews Group acquired full control of the partnership. The operation was subsequently renamed Prairie Mountain Media, creating the corporate identity used for a broad collection of Colorado newspaper properties. Prairie Mountain Media's business model combines daily newspapers, weekly publications, digital news services, advertising, subscriptions, and community information. Its titles cover metropolitan Denver, university and regional markets around Boulder, established Front Range communities, and smaller towns in eastern and southern Colorado. The portfolio includes publications such as The Denver Post, Daily Camera, Longmont Times-Call, Loveland Reporter-Herald, Greeley Tribune, and numerous local newspapers with strong place-based identities. The company expanded through acquisitions. In 2011, it acquired Lehman Communications, adding newspaper assets and local-market operations. In 2020, it acquired the Greeley Tribune from Swift Communications, strengthening its presence in northern Colorado. These transactions complemented Prairie Mountain Media's existing network rather than transforming it into a national consumer brand. Prairie Mountain Media has also been affected by the structural pressures facing the newspaper industry, including declining print advertising, changing audience habits, cost controls, and the transition toward digital distribution. Its parent group, Digital First Media, has drawn public criticism over reductions in newsroom staffing at some newspapers under the ownership of Alden Global Capital. In June 2024, Prairie Mountain Media announced that it would close its printing plant in Berthoud and move production to The Denver Post's production facility. The change was expected to eliminate 40 jobs and consolidate print manufacturing within the group. The company remains primarily a regional newspaper operator. Its value proposition is based on local reporting, community information, public-affairs coverage, sports, classifieds, events, and advertising across Colorado markets. While The Denver Post provides the portfolio's best-known title, the wider collection of smaller publications gives Prairie Mountain Media a geographically distributed presence and a network of local brands.

Prairie Mountain Media traces its corporate origins to a 2006 partnership between E. W. Scripps Company and MediaNews Group, Inc. The companies created Colorado Publishing Co. to operate their newspapers in eastern Colorado. The arrangement gave each company a 50 percent ownership interest and reflected a broader newspaper-industry practice of sharing operating infrastructure and management in geographically related markets. In 2009, MediaNews Group obtained full ownership of the company. At a later point, the operation adopted the Prairie Mountain Media name. Under that identity, it developed into a Colorado newspaper group with properties spanning metropolitan, regional, and community markets. The portfolio included newspapers in the Denver area, the northern Front Range, Boulder County, eastern Colorado, and southern Colorado. The company expanded its holdings in 2011 through the acquisition of Lehman Communications. Although the available reference material does not identify every property involved in that transaction, the deal formed part of Prairie Mountain Media's effort to build a larger collection of local publishing assets. In 2020, the company purchased the Greeley Tribune from Swift Communications. The acquisition gave Prairie Mountain Media control of a significant northern Colorado newspaper and added to its coverage of the state's growing Front Range corridor. The portfolio includes The Denver Post, the group's most prominent title, along with Daily Camera, Colorado Daily, Colorado Hometown Weekly, Broomfield Enterprise, Longmont Times-Call, Loveland Reporter-Herald, Estes Park Trail-Gazette, Greeley Tribune, and a number of newspapers serving eastern and southern Colorado communities. These titles operate as distinct local brands while sharing ownership within the Prairie Mountain Media structure. Prairie Mountain Media operates in an industry undergoing sustained disruption. Print circulation and advertising have faced pressure from digital media, while local publishers have sought to reduce production and distribution costs. The company is part of Digital First Media, which in turn is owned by Alden Global Capital. Alden's newspaper ownership has been associated with aggressive cost reduction and reductions in newsroom staffing across parts of its portfolio, a context relevant to the operating environment in which Prairie Mountain Media's newspapers function. In June 2024, Prairie Mountain Media announced a major production change: it would close its printing plant in Berthoud and shift newspaper printing to The Denver Post's production facility. The move consolidated physical production within the group but also resulted in an announced loss of 40 jobs. This decision illustrates the continuing movement away from maintaining separate print infrastructure for multiple regional newspaper operations. Today, Prairie Mountain Media is best understood as a regional newspaper platform rather than a single-title consumer brand. Its publications provide local news, public-affairs reporting, sports, culture, advertising, and community information. The company combines the reach of The Denver Post with the local presence of smaller daily and weekly newspapers, maintaining a broad Colorado footprint while adapting its production and distribution operations to changing economics.

1. 2024Berthoud printing plant closure announced

   Prairie Mountain Media announced that printing would move from Berthoud to The Denver Post facility, with 40 positions expected to be eliminated.

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2. 2020Greeley Tribune acquired

   The company acquired the Greeley Tribune from Swift Communications.

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3. 2011Lehman Communications acquired

   Prairie Mountain Media expanded its Colorado newspaper holdings through the acquisition of Lehman Communications.

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4. 2009MediaNews Group takes full control

   MediaNews Group acquired the remaining ownership interest in the newspaper operation, which was later renamed Prairie Mountain Media.

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5. 2006Colorado Publishing Co. partnership established

   E. W. Scripps Company and MediaNews Group formed a jointly owned company to operate newspapers in eastern Colorado, with each holding a 50 percent stake.

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A Colorado-focused newspaper publishing group combining a major metropolitan newspaper with regional and community titles.

• The Denver PostDaily newspaper

  The Denver Post is Prairie Mountain Media's most prominent newspaper property and serves the Denver metropolitan area. It provides general news, politics, business, sports, culture, opinion, and digital coverage. The title also functions as a production hub for other Prairie Mountain Media publications following the announced closure of the Berthoud printing plant.

• Daily CameraDaily newspaper

  Daily Camera is a Boulder-area newspaper covering local and regional news, public affairs, business, education, sports, and community life. It is part of Prairie Mountain Media's Front Range portfolio and complements the company's broader Colorado newspaper network.

• Greeley TribuneDaily newspaper

  The Greeley Tribune is a northern Colorado newspaper acquired by Prairie Mountain Media from Swift Communications in 2020. Its coverage is centered on Greeley and surrounding communities, with local news, government, business, sports, and community reporting.

• Community newspaper portfolioCommunity newspapers

  Prairie Mountain Media operates a group of local titles including Akron News-Reporter, Broomfield Enterprise, Brush News-Tribune, Burlington Record, Cañon City Daily Record, Colorado Daily, Colorado Hometown Weekly, Estes Park Trail-Gazette, The Fort Morgan Times, Journal-Advocate, Julesburg Advocate, Lamar Ledger, and South Platte Sentinel. These publications focus on place-based reporting and advertising in their respective Colorado communities.

• 2024Consolidation of newspaper printingStrategy

  Prairie Mountain Media announced the closure of its Berthoud printing plant amid the cost and operational pressures affecting newspaper production.

  What changed. The company planned to move printing of its newspapers to The Denver Post's production facility.

  Aftermath. The consolidation was expected to eliminate 40 jobs and centralize print production within the company's Colorado operations.

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• 2020Acquisition of the Greeley TribuneM&A

  Prairie Mountain Media sought to expand its newspaper presence in northern Colorado.

  What changed. The company acquired the Greeley Tribune from Swift Communications.

  Aftermath. The acquisition added a significant northern Colorado newspaper to Prairie Mountain Media's regional portfolio.

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• 2024Prairie Mountain Media to close Berthoud printing plant and consolidate production

  The company announced that it would shut its Berthoud, Colorado, printing plant and transfer production of its newspapers to The Denver Post's production facility. The consolidation was expected to result in 40 employee layoffs.

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• 2020Prairie Mountain Media acquires the Greeley Tribune

  Prairie Mountain Media acquired the Greeley Tribune from Swift Communications, expanding its newspaper presence in northern Colorado.

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• 2011Prairie Mountain Media acquires Lehman Communications

  The company acquired Lehman Communications as part of its expansion among Colorado newspaper and local-media properties.

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1. Prairie Mountain Media