ST. GEORGE – Southern Utah’s largest radio, advertising and marketing corporation, Canyon Media, has acquired a controlling interest in St. George News.
“We are excited to add St. George News to the Canyon Media family of radio stations and digital advertising resources,” Canyon Media owner Kent Frandsen said. “For us it was an easy decision. St George News has a massive, loyal readership and following. They are the most legitimate and active local news company with thousands of readers each day.
“Adding the powerful digital element of St. George News to the known success of traditional media will mean greater results for the businesses that use our products and greater entertainment, news and information options available to our combined loyal audience, readers and fans. We couldn’t be more thrilled.”
Since its start in 2010, St. George News has grown to become Southern Utah’s most trusted and read news source with over 120,000 monthly readers in Washington County and 27,000 monthly readers in Iron County. St George News credits such rapid growth to its commitment to focusing on local news that matters to those communities.
Similarly, Canyon Media has been operating in Southern Utah for over 20 years and has established itself with the radio stations of choice for most of the area’s communities. It operates seven radio stations with a combined reach of over 130,000 listeners each week with listener favorites like 99.9 Kony Country, Planet 94.1 and 95.9 The Hawk.
“The opportunity to have our local news content mirrored and delivered on air, complementing popular entertainment, music and talk radio through a broadcaster that is also based in St. George and genuinely dedicated to the communities of Southern Utah was the ideal choice to expand our news platform,” St. George News CEO Shane Brinkerhoff said. “So for us, it was also an easy decision.
“With Canyon Media’s longstanding traditional radio audience, we can reach more people quickly even when they’re not online in the moment.”
As people have different preferences for accessing news, information and entertainment, the joining of Canyon Media and St. George News translates to a broader reach. Together, this new media company will reach nearly every household in Southern Utah … every single week.
“We are so grateful to the Southern Utah community that tunes in every day, that loves our stations and personalities and supports the businesses that advertise with us,” Eric Frandsen, chief operating officer with Canyon Media companies, said. “The addition of St. George News to the Canyon Media family will be a smooth one because they share the same attitude and commitment to the local community that we have tried to embrace and show over the years. The combined reach of our two companies will make it easier for businesses to tell their stories in an unparalleled way here in Southern Utah.”
Canyon Media also recognizes the hallmarks of St. George News’ commitment to its readers.
“I love and support the belief of St. George News that news should be local and access to that news should be free to the reader,” Kent Frandsen said. “Canyon Media’s commitment is to keep that promise alive and well.”
And the two are compatible in their approach to business.
“We have such a common vision,” Brinkerhoff said, “and we are grateful to our faithful audiences and sponsors who make it possible for us to do what we love every day.”
Addressing St. George News readers and Canyon Media listeners, Brinkerhoff said:
Most of all, we are confident that as the most capable multimedia outlet in the region, we can connect you to what matters to you right in your hometown – on air, online, through your favorite devices, social media and email – St. George News, a Canyon Media company, can connect Southern Utah like it’s never been connected before.
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2017, all rights reserved.
Well before everyone goes hog-wild patting each other on the butt over this, I’d like to get my 2 cents in. I like the St. George News. I like it a lot. I also like Canyon Media. Both of these operations conduct their business in the old-school way, with local stories, local programming, local writers and personalities, and local advertisers. It reminds me of how my original hometown of Nashville used to be in the 1970’s and 80’s – UNTIL the inevitable corporate media takeover.
Now I’m not going to assume this is going to happen in St. George, but my experience – which happens to be in both the newspaper and radio industries, albeit pre-internet and pre-FCC deregulation – is that the long road to media delocalization in a city always begins with…an acquisition just like this one. Next thing you know, everything gets sold to a national media corporation, and instead of Buckner and Gina, you’re listening to Howard Stern, Bob & Tom, or John-Boy and Billy on the radio, and reading Reuters and AP press releases in your local newspaper.
St. George is a fast-growing city. Let’s hope that Canyon Media remembers that they are a St. George company, and that their interests and the interests of St. George’s residents run a parallel course. Let’s keep St. George St. George, and not let it become just another suburban sprawl. And yes, I am “that guy” who doesn’t want to see St. George grow at all. But I’m far from alone in this view.
Yeah, but there is a ton of “manifest destiny” types here who could care less about the media stranglehold poised over our city but for the fact they can make a truckload of money in the interim.
We shall see how events unfold.
(Can you imagine the AP trying to cover the “alleged” Lake Powell Pipeline?)
Nick. You could just move and switch your radio to FM………problem solved
But,,, you are a self admitted transplant. Am I missing something here???
The real question here: will they be clamping down on comments with “anti-mormon” sentiment? will they be clamping down on comments involving “conspiracy theories”? Will we be moving all the bs commentary over to facebook? I notice my last one mentioning trump and clinton got whacked.