Donnelly continues to expand newspaper group's N.J. holdings

Eric Strauss//August 23, 2016

A central New Jersey newspaper chain has been sold, it said Tuesday.Greater Media Newspapers, which publishes 10 weekly newspapers in Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean counties, has been purchased by Richard Donnelly, CEO of Pennsauken-based advertising distribution company Donnelly Distribution.

Donnelly has formed a company called Newspaper Media Group, and over the past four months has acquired Packet Media, publisher of the Princeton Packet and others, as well as Broad Street Media, owner of multiple community newspapers in southern New Jersey and the Philadelphia region.

Donnelly also acquired the Sun Newspaper Group, which operates in central and southern New Jersey, according to Tuesday’s announcement.

“Together with these entities, we are going to bring back newspapers to reflect the past when people read newspapers,” he said in a prepared statement.

Donnelly now owns about 35 publications, which employ about 275 people, according to Greater Media’s news release.