SEDONA — The newspaper that has chronicled Sedona since before it was a city is getting a new owner, part of a broader reshuffling of local news across northern Arizona.
The Larson family announced Monday that it is selling Larson Newspapers, publisher of the Sedona Red Rock News and The Journal, to Wick Communications, a family-owned media company headquartered in Sierra Vista. The deal is scheduled to close Dec. 1, according to announcements published by the Red Rock News, Wick Communications and the Arizona Daily Sun.
Six decades in one family
Robert and Loretta Larson founded the company on Oct. 3, 1963, and it has remained in the family for more than 60 years, covering Sedona, the Village of Oak Creek and the Verde Valley. Publisher Robert B. Larson said his parents could not have known “how deeply woven into the community we would become” when they started the paper.
General Manager Kyle Larson will stay on with Wick to lead the transition, the companies said. “I have quite literally grown up at this newspaper,” he said in the announcement, telling readers and advertisers they are “in the best possible hands.”
Wick, founded in Ohio in 1926 by Milton and James Wick before moving its headquarters to Sierra Vista, is marking 100 years in business and already owns the Arizona Daily Sun in Flagstaff. CEO Josh O’Connor said the company plans to invest in “modern digital tools, expanded coverage” and advertising services for the communities. Print delivery, digital subscriptions and advertising schedules will continue without interruption, the announcement said.
Four more papers move to a joint venture
The Arizona Daily Sun reported a second, related deal. Also effective Dec. 1, the Williams-Grand Canyon News, the Verde Independent, the Camp Verde Bugle and the Navajo-Hopi Observer — owned outright for more than 35 years by Western News&Info, or WNI — will transfer to River City Newspapers LLC, a 50/50 joint venture between Wick and WNI.
That joint venture, known as River City Newsgroup, already runs print and digital outlets in Lake Havasu City, Parker, Bullhead City, Kingman, Golden Valley and Wickenburg, plus Needles, California, according to the Daily Sun. WNI is owned by the Soldwedel family; the two companies have been partners in River City since 1995.
WNI President Joe Soldwedel said the move is meant to strengthen the company, keep an ownership stake and set up “a predictable succession plan.” O’Connor said the joint venture will continue building a regional news and advertising footprint across Coconino, Yavapai and Navajo counties.
What it means for readers
The deals consolidate much of the weekly and community newspaper coverage between Flagstaff, the Verde Valley, Williams and the Hopi and Navajo reservations under companies tied to Wick. Neither announcement disclosed a purchase price or said whether staffing or print schedules would change after the closing date.
The sale comes as small, family-owned papers around the country face shrinking print advertising and rising costs, and as many communities have lost local newspapers altogether. In this case, the Larsons and the buyers emphasized continuity: the same local mastheads, a family member staying through the handoff, and an Arizona-based owner.
Photo: dnak via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0). Red rock formations in Sedona; 2009 file photo.
Sources: Sedona Red Rock News; Arizona Daily Sun; Wick Communications.
This article was produced with AI assistance and is based on reporting from Sedona Red Rock News, Arizona Daily Sun and Wick Communications.