Newspaper! Get Your Newspaper Here!

The Press Herald and other Maine newspapers are up for sale. Calling Rupert Murdoch? Hopefully not Sun Young Moon.

"The Seattle Times Co., parent company of the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram, is putting its Maine media properties up for sale.

Charles C. Cochrane, president and chief executive officer of Blethen Maine Newspapers, said the decision is based on The Seattle Times' need to focus on operating its newspapers in Washington state.

"The decision to explore a sale was painful," Cochrane said, "but a sale might be the best opportunity for the long-term survival of our newspapers in Washington and those in Maine."

The Seattle Times Co., which is owned by the Blethen family, bought the newspapers from Guy Gannett Communications in 1998. In addition to the Portland newspapers, Blethen Maine owns the Kennebec Journal in Augusta; the Morning Sentinel in Waterville; the Coastal Journal, a free weekly in Bath; The Maine Switch, a free weekly in Portland; and MaineToday.com, the company's online site."

- Portland Press Herald