Local group buying Chattanooga Times Free Press from Arkansas owners

From the Chattanoogan: A group of investors led by Chattanooga businessman and media specialist Craig Fuller is planning to buy the Chattanooga Times Free Press newspaper from its Arkansas owners, sources say.

The Hussman family, of Little Rock, has been shopping the newspaper that dates back to 1869 and was once headed by newspaper giant Adolph Ochs when he was a young man.
Eliza Hussman Gaines, the current Times Free Press publisher, said in a Rotary speech in April that newspapers are vanishing, and the family's WEHCO group was selling them, not buying new ones. She indicated that one option to keep a newspaper in Chattanooga was to go to a non-profit setup. Another, she said, was to launch community fund drives in support of the paper.

Her father, Walter Hussman, at the time that print newspapers were beginning to struggle, bought the morning Chattanooga Times and then the afternoon Chattanooga News-Free Press. He then combined them into one morning paper in 1999.

The deal would not include the newspaper property on E. 11th Street, it was stated. The News-Free Press, that was long headed by Roy McDonald, operated at that location, which at one time was the Davenport Hosiery Mill.

It is expected the operation would be headed by Ellis Smith, who was a Times Free Press reporter prior to joining the administration of Mayor Tim Kelly. Mr. Smith announced this week that he was leaving the mayor's office.

He said at the time, "While I may be leaving city government, I'll continue to serve the community in other ways."

At one time Mr. Smith was the general manager for the Burlington Hawk Eye newspaper in Iowa.

Since the 11th Street property that would not be part of the deal includes a large printing press, it is expected the new operation would be online only.

The Times Free Press currently prints only on Sundays. There is a "pay wall" on its website. The newspaper has struggled to gain online subscriptions. A competitor, Chattanoogan.com, is free to the reader.

There would likely be reductions in force at the newspaper, which is already slimmed way down from the levels at the time of the merger.

Under the Hussman family, the paper has included separate editorials from the right and the left - the only newspaper to do so. That could change, it was expected.

Mr. Fuller and Mr. Smith did not return emails asking for comment.

Craig Fuller's online bio says, "I am a founder and media executive that founded FreightWaves, the leading provider of high-frequency global supply chain market intelligence.

"I speak on supply chain issues across the globe and am a frequent guest on Bloomberg, CNBC, Fox, and other major networks.

"I am also the CEO of FLYING Media Group, a holding company behind a number of major aviation media brands, including FLYING Magazine, Plane & Pilot, Business Air, Aircraft for Sale, and a few others.

"I have two real estate projects that I am developing, a 1500-acre fly-in luxury resort in East Tennessee and a luxury aviation townhouse community also in Tennessee.

"I am an active startup investor with more than 30 early-stage investments.

"I am a private pilot and fly an ICON A5, Bristell 915, Tecnam Astore, and Cirrus Vision Jet (soon!).

"I have a BBA from Baylor University. I reside in Chattanooga, TN with my wife and five kids."