By Mark Hanzlik, Executive Director
On August 1, 2019, Pasadena-based Southland Publishing, Inc., a long-time AWN member and sales partner, sold its eight southern California publications to Times Media Group, a publishing group based in Arizona.
That purchase included all five newsweeklies published by Southland: Los Angeles Downtown News, Pasadena Weekly, The Argonaut, Ventura County Reporter, and San Diego CityBeat.
Additionally, TMG purchased Southland’s three monthly magazines: Arroyo Monthly, Playa Vista Direct, and Ventana Monthly. Southland’s associated digital properties are also included in the transaction.
Southland Publishing was owned by Michael N. Flannery, who founded the company in 1997 with the purchase of the Ventura County Reporter. Flannery also owns an affiliated company in Sylmar, Calif., Valley Business Printers, Inc., which was not sold.
Note: Southland Vice President of Operations David Comden, who joined the company in 1998, and was a stalwart supporter and early adopter at AWN, has since become a Planning Commissioner at City of Ventura.