McClatchy Media Company (MMC)

Overview

McClatchy Media Company (MMC) is an American local-news and lifestyle-media company headquartered in Sacramento, California. It was formed in December 2024 through the merger of The McClatchy Company, a local-newspaper publisher, with accelerate360 and its media arm, a360media, a magazine and celebrity-content publisher. MMC is wholly owned by Chatham Asset Management, LLC, a private investment firm (hedge fund) based in Chatham, New Jersey, which acquired McClatchy through bankruptcy proceedings in 2020.

Portfolio

• Approximately 30 local newsrooms, including the Miami Herald, The Kansas City Star, The Sacramento Bee, The Charlotte Observer, The News & Observer (Raleigh), the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the Idaho Statesman, and The Fresno Bee.

• a360media magazine titles, including Us Weekly, In Touch Weekly, Woman's World, Life & Style, and Soap Opera Digest.

• The McClatchy Retail Network and accelerate360's retail distribution business, reaching more than 56,000 retail locations in North America.

The National Enquirer, Star, National Examiner, and Globe tabloids, formerly published under American Media, Inc./a360media, were explicitly excluded from the 2024 merger and are not part of McClatchy Media Company.

Ownership

Chatham Asset Management, LLC wholly owns McClatchy Media Company. Chatham, led by founder Anthony Melchiorre, acquired The McClatchy Company through a court-approved Chapter 11 bankruptcy sale that closed in September 2020, for approximately $312 million. Chatham also owns Postmedia Network in Canada and, prior to the 2024 merger, separately owned accelerate360 and a360media.

History

James McClatchy founded the company on February 3, 1857, in Sacramento, California. In 2006, McClatchy acquired Knight Ridder, then the second-largest U.S. newspaper company, for $4.5 billion. The McClatchy Company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February 2020. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court approved Chatham Asset Management's purchase agreement on August 4, 2020, and the sale closed in September 2020, ending 163 years of McClatchy family ownership; Chatham named Tony Hunter as CEO, succeeding Craig Forman, while chairman Kevin McClatchy and the existing board departed. In August 2024, McClatchy announced plans to merge with accelerate360 and its media division, a360media; the merger closed December 16, 2024, and the combined company took the name McClatchy Media Company.

Leadership

• Tony Hunter is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of McClatchy Media Company. He was named CEO of McClatchy in 2020 upon its emergence from bankruptcy and became chairman and CEO of the combined company following the 2024 merger.

• Robyn Tomlin is Chief Content Officer.

• Chuck Howell is President and Chief Operating Officer of the McClatchy Retail Network.

Location and contact info

Headquarters
1601 Alhambra Boulevard, Suite 100
Sacramento, CA 95816
Website. https://www.mcclatchy.com