Byrd Newspapers to sell Winchester Star and other entities to Odgen Newspapers

WINCHESTER — The Ogden Newspapers, Inc., newspaper group  announced Tuesday that it would become the new owner of the Byrd Newspapers.   The announcement was made by Ogden Chief Executive Officer Robert M. Nutting.

The sale includes the Byrd family’s two daily newspapers; The Winchester Star and WinchesterStar.com website, the Daily News-Record of Harrisonburg, VA and its associated website, dnronline.com. Other publications included in the sale: the Page News & Courier, The Warren Sentinel, The Shenandoah Valley-Herald, The Valley Banner and Skyline publications. 

The Byrd family has been in the publishing business in the Shenandoah Valley since 1897, with five generations of the family  involved in managing the newspapers.

The transaction should be completed by March 31.

Ogden, headquartered in Wheeling, W.Va., also publishes newspapers in 15 other states. 

The company also owns numerous weekly newspapers across the country and a list of magazines based in Topeka, Kansas, including Utne Reader and Mother Earth News. The Nutting family also owns Seven Springs Mountain Resort and Hidden Valley Ski Resort in Pennsylvania and is the majority owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball franchise.