TownNews

TownNews.com is a digital media and online publishing company based in Moline, Illinois. The company's products include the BLOX content management system which is commonly used by American newspaper websites.

TownNews.com
IndustryOnline publishing
PredecessorInternational Newspaper Network
Founded1989 (1989) in Bigfork, Montana, U.S.
Founders
  • Marc Wilson
  • Virginia R. Wilson
  • Robert P. Dalton
Headquarters
Moline, Illinois
,
U.S.
Key people
ProductsBLOX Content Management System
Websitetownnews365.com
Footnotes / references
[1][2]

History

The company was founded by Marc Wilson, Virginia R. Wilson, and Robert P. Dalton as the International Newspaper Network (INN) in 1989 to help newspapers deal with developing technology.[1] The three were owners of the weekly Bigfork Eagle in Bigfork, Montana.[1] Bob Keenan and Mike Brown joined the company in the early 1990s. With the increasing popularity of the web in the mid-1990s, efforts focused on helping newspapers bring their content to the Internet. As of 2017, over 1,600 newspapers, magazines, radio stations, and TV stations use TownNews.com's products.[1]

Products

The company's lead product is the BLOX Content Management System (CMS), which is widely used to produce online and print products.[1] In 2015, Barrett Golding at the Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri examined 1,506 U.S. newspaper websites and found BLOX CMS was the most common content management system among the 692 sites with a CMS that could be detected by BuiltWith, W3Techs, or Wappalyzer.[3] Customers include Lee Enterprises,[4] Berkshire-Hathaway Media,[5] Digital First Media,[6] Adams Publishing Group,[7] Pioneer Newspaper Group,[8] the Evening Post Publishing,[9] and many other groups and independent publications.

Organization

TownNews.com is headquartered in Moline, Illinois.[1] Executives added since 2000 include CEO Brad Ward, head programmer Patrick O'lone, systems chief Chris Murley, controller Darcy Heist,[10] and national sales VP Rick Rogers.[11] Many of its 98 employees work remotely. Marc Wilson became executive chairman in October 2016 after serving as chief executive since the company's founding.[2]

Lee Enterprises, the fourth-largest newspaper group in the United States is an 82.5% stakeholder of TownNews.com. The Wilsons and Keenan remain minority partners.[2] Lee Enterprises became the majority partner in 1996.[1]

Acquisitions

Over the years, TownNews.com has acquired various organizations, most notably ZWire, AdQuest,[12] Anytime News,[13] and DotConnect Media.

See also

References
  1. "About Us". TownNews.com. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  2. Arms, Charles (2 September 2016). "Wilson named executive chairman, Ward CEO, of TownNews.com" (Press release). Moline, IL: Lee Enterprises.
  3. Golding, Barrett (1 September 2015). "Tools we use 1: Publishing print newspapers online: CMSs". Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute. Missouri School of Journalism, University of Missouri. Archived from the original on 7 August 2017.
  4. "Congrats to five award-winning sites". TownNews.com. 28 May 2010.
  5. "World Media Enterprises chooses TownNews.com for online services" (Press release). Moline, IL: TownNews.com. 4 October 2012.
  6. "Connecticut Magazine". TownNews.com. 1 December 2016.
  7. "Pilot-Independent". TownNews.com. 12 June 2017.
  8. Kolp, Brandon (23 May 2003). "TownNews.com provides online solution for Pioneer Newspaper Group". TownNews.com.
  9. "South Strand News". TownNews.com. 27 October 2016.
  10. "From typewriters to terabytes – the TownNews.com story". TownNews.com. 30 June 2011.
  11. "TownNews.com tags Rick Rogers as new VP of sales" (Press release). Moline, IL: TownNews.com. 13 June 2016.
  12. "TownNews acquires additional businesses". Globe Gazette. Mason City, IA. Associated Press. 16 February 2006.
  13. "TownNews.com Adds Anytime News to Network". Editor & Publisher. 2 March 2001.


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