O’Rourke Media Group announced Tuesday that it has acquired Metro Philadelphia, Metro.us and Philly Sports Network from Schneps Media.
Metro Philadelphia, known for its print edition published three times a week and daily digital content, covers breaking news, local events, and lifestyle stories, serving as a go-to resource for Philadelphians.
“We’re excited to welcome the Metro team to O’Rourke Media Group,” said Jim O’Rourke, CEO and owner. “We currently publish 11 local newspapers with local websites in the Philly burbs, Bucks County and Montgomery County. Adding such a strong brand, newspaper and digital presence with Metro and Philly Sports Network is super exciting and will position us to achieve significant audience and revenue growth with a big focus on digital.”
The acquisition creates the largest newspaper presence in the Philadelphia market, with a combined circulation of over 180,000 distributed to mailboxes and high-traffic locations across the region.
Dirks, Van Essen & April, a media merger and acquisition firm based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is representing Schneps Media in the transaction. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“I am happy to pass the torch of our Philadelphia business to Jim O’Rourke,” said Joshua Schneps, CEO of Schneps Media. ”He is taking on a terrific team that will benefit from his leadership, commitment to local news and knowledge of the Philadelphia market. I wish him and the team the best of luck.”
“Over the next few weeks, we’ll be proactively working together with the Schneps team to make for a smooth transition,” said O’Rourke. “I’ve really appreciated the opportunity to meet and engage with Josh on making this happen. Schneps Media is super impressive and without a doubt one of the best local media businesses in the country.”
The sale officially closes on July 31.
About Schneps Media
Schneps Media is the largest news media company in New York state with daily and weekly community newspapers, dozens of digital media outlets and host of business and consumer events.
About O’Rourke Media Group
O’Rourke Media Group is a family-owned, diversified media company that was formed in 2018. Originally just a holding company that owned a few newspapers, O’Rourke Media Group (OMG) has established itself as an industry-leading, digital media company comprising a cutting edge digital agency and an impressive group of award-winning, hyper-local print newspapers and niche magazines. OMG now operates in eight states, 37 markets with over 52 publications and hyper-local websites. For more information, visit orourkemediagroup.com.
