Swift Newspapers to buy Fallon paper

Reno-based Swift Newspapers Inc.

says its acquisition of a daily newspaper in Fallon is a key element of its growth strategy in northern Nevada The company said last week it has reached agreement to purchase the Lahontan Valley News and Fallon Eagle Standard newspaper from David Henley, its current owner and publisher.

The newspaper is published six days a week.

Arne Hoel, president of Swift Newspapers, said the Fallon newspaper will become part of Swift's Tahoe Carson Area Newspapers, which is headquartered at Carson City.

With that affiliation, Hoel said Swift will be able to strengthen its local news coverage and also will provide the potential for advertisers to cover a wider region with a single buy.

(Swift Newspapers is one of the partners in Northern Nevada Communications LLC, which publishes Northern Nevada Business Weekly.) The Lahontan Valley News and Fallon Eagle Standard will celebrate its centennial in December.

Peter Starren, the group publisher for Swift's newspaper group in the region, said the newspaper has a long tradition of good local journalism and has won numerous statewide awards from the Nevada Press Association.

"This newspaper, already very strong on local news, will work with others in the group to make it and our other newspapers the best news source in northern Nevada," Starren said.

Fallon and Churchill County both are growing rapidly with an economy based on agriculture, manufacturing and defense spending at Fallon Naval Air Station.

Fallon has a population of about 24,000.

Other Swift-owned newspapers which are part of the Tahoe Carson Area Newspapers Group include the Nevada Appeal in Carson City, the Tahoe Daily Tribune at South Lake Tahoe, the Record-Courier at Minden/Gardnerville, North Lake Tahoe Bonanza at Incline Village, Tahoe World at Tahoe City and the Sierra Sun at Truckee.

The group also publishes Internet news site for each paper as well as information sites at reno.com and tahoe.com.

Swift Newspapers, a privately held, family owned company, also owns newspapers in Colorado, Nebraska, Oregon and California.

It employs about 1,000 fulltime and part-time workers across its

operations.