The meteoric rise of news publisher CherryRoad Media continues with the acquisition of 17 more mastheads from Gannett.

This time the national publisher of USA Today – which likes to call itself “the new Gannett, following the 2019 Gatehouse merger – is unloading newspapers in Texas and Oklahoma. They include the (Sherman) Herald Democrat, Waxahachie Daily Light, Stephenville Empire-Tribune, Brownwood Bulletin, Alice Echo-News Journal, Van Alstyne Leader, Anna-Melissa Tribune, Prosper Press, Grayson County Shopper, Midlothian Mirror, Runnels County Register, Glen Rose Reporter, Cross Timbers Trading Post and Shop Local in Texas and the Daily Ardmoreite, Shawnee News-Star and Bryan County News in Oklahoma.

The acquisition takes CherryRoad Media’s portfolio across ten states. It acquired more than three dozen newspapers in Arkansas, Alabama, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, and Nebraska in a series of transactions last year. The company acquired its first newspaper in November 2020, the Cook County News Herald  in Grand Marais, Minnesota.

“These are two new states for us,” says CherryRoad chief executive Jeremy Gulban (pictured). “We are excited to become a part of these vibrant communities.

“These papers, and the people they serve, fit perfectly with our efforts as we continue to engage with local communities around the country, and I wish to thank Gannett for working with us to transition them to a new home.”

Dirks, Van Essen & April represented Gannett in the transaction, terms of which were not disclosed. The sale is expected to close February 1.

CherryRoad Media is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parsippany, New Jersey-based technology company CherryRoad Technologies, established in 1983.

• Dirks, Van Essen & April have also handled the sale on behalf of CCC Media of the Block Island Times and related publications and websites to Rhode Island Suburban Newspapers (RISN Operations). Founded in 1970, the weekly Block Island Times had been owned by CCC Media since 2016.

Rhode Island Suburban Newspapers and its affiliates operate newspapers in several states, with nearby operations including the Westerly Sun,  Kent County Daily Times, The Call of Woonsocket, Times of Pawtucket and Independent. Regional publisher Jody Boucher said the Block Island Times was a perfect addition to RISN’s family of community-oriented, locally-focussed newspapers covering Rhode Island and southeastern Connecticut.