About AIM Media Indiana LLC
AIM Media Indiana LLC is an acquisition entity formed by Jeremy L. Halbreich and Rick Starks for the purpose of acquiring and growing the print, online and commercial printing operations of Home News Enterprises in and around the region.
The new company is an affiliate of AIM Media Texas LLC, and both entities are managed by AIM Media Management of Dallas, where Halbreich serves as chairman and chief executive officer and Starks serves as president and chief operating officer.
The company focuses on local content across all forms of media including print, online and video and recognizes the value and benefits that local news, information and advertising services bring to local communities and regional markets.
AIM mission: We are the leading information source in our communities. Through our demonstrated integrity and our dedicated and comprehensive approach to balanced and credible journalism, we earn the trust and support of local readers, viewers, businesses and advertisers.
Newspapers and websites owned by AIM Media Texas are: The Monitor in McAllen; Valley Morning Star in Harlingen; The Brownsville Herald and El Nuevo Heraldo in Brownsville; Mid-Valley Town Crier is Weslaco; The Coastal Current in South Padre Island; Odessa American in Odessa; and El Extra in McAllen, Harlingen and Brownsville.
About Home News Enterprises
Home News Enterprises, a family owned business, traced its origin to the inception of The Columbus Republican in Columbus, founded in 1872 by Isaac T. Brown.
Over the past 143 years of operation, the company’s lineage of leadership survived four generational transfers with the appointment of Jeffrey N. Brown as president in 1998. HNE was in its sixth generation of family ownership.
The early Columbus newspaper competed with myriad other publications, all growing rapidly with the city. The Columbus Republic emerged as the surviving daily newspaper for the city.
Home News Enterprises was formed in 1962 as the basis of a company to grow its publication portfolio beyond Columbus, including growth of is commercial printing operation.
Jeffrey Brown’s father, Robert N. Brown, was a pioneer in developing small newspaper offset printing technologies in the early 1960s with the building of two architecturally significant newspaper printing plants that culminated in the awarding of The Republic office building to the National Register of Historic Places in October 2012.
Newspapers and websites owned by HNE were: The Republic in Columbus; Daily Journal in Franklin; The Tribune in Seymour; Daily Reporter in Greenfield; Brown County Democrat in Nashville; The Times-Post of Pendleton; New Palestine Press; the Fortville-McCordsville Reporter; and the Brownstown Times. The company also publishes magazines and special publications.
The company maintained online, digital, magazine, special publication and commercial printing divisions and operated two production facilities located off Interstate 65 in Columbus and Interstate 70 in Greenfield.
Employed 300 people.
Pull quotes
In their words
Jeffrey N. Brown, president and CEO of Homes News Enterprises
“There comes a point in time in older multigenerational family businesses where family members, many of whom are in or near retirement, need to exit from their ownership in order to pursue other interests.
“AIM came to us with a compelling offer that helps to preserve HNE’s local autonomy. We came to appreciate AIM’s focus on the importance of local newspapers and our commercial printing operations. AIM brings the potential to continue HNE’s growth in both media properties and commercial printing services.
“Our family is incredibly appreciative of the support of our communities and our customers through the years. It’s been a great run, and we know that AIM will continue in that same tradition.”
Jeremy L. Halbreich, chairman and chief executive officer of AIM Media
“Home News Enterprises has long been one of the most respected and admired publishing and media companies in the United States.”
“I had the great pleasure and privilege of knowing Robert N. Brown, and recently my associate Rick Starks (President and COO of AIM) and I have had the wonderful opportunity to become well acquainted with Jeffrey N. Brown.
“We have great admiration for Jeff and for his leadership at Home these past 20-plus years, and we are very flattered to have this opportunity to become directly involved with these important, high-quality, local journalism operations.
“The Brown family has demonstrated extraordinary commitment, support and leadership to these local communities throughout their six generations of ownership.
“It is our goal and strongest desire to continue this community service and we look forward to providing the guidance and direction necessary for these publications to engage their local audiences and set the civic agenda and discourse in both online and print for the communities they serve.”
“These are important, impactful and attractive businesses located in an extraordinary and unique group of towns in southern Indiana.”
“These publications and the service they provide their respective communities in Indiana represent a great testimony to the hard work, dedication and true community service established and maintained by the Brown family over many decades in conjunction with their talented staff of dedicated employees. We are gratified by the Brown family’s confidence in us as publishers of local, community newspapers to build on their heritage, traditions and focus on community service.”
