The Alaska Dispatch is Buying the Anchorage Daily News

Alaska’s media landscape could change dramatically in the coming months as the publisher of the Alaska Dispatch is buying the 68-year old Anchorage Daily News. The Alaska Dispatch was founded in 2008 and the Anchorage Daily News is the largest newspaper in Alaska. The Publisher of the Alaska Dispatch is Alice Rogoff. She’s a former Chief Financial Officer for U.S. News and World Report. In a prepared statement she stressed that the mission is to offer a level of coverage never before seen in Alaska and to offer it to readers across the state through a variety of mediums. Alaska Dispatch Publishing LLC is paying the McClatchy Company $34-million dollars for the Anchorage Daily News. The deal is expected to close in May. The McClatchy Company is the second-largest newspaper chain in the country. Tony Hopfinger is one of the co-founders of the Alaska Dispatch. He says there are no plans to change the staff of the Anchorage Daily News. However, at some point the websites for the Dispatch and the Daily News will be merged into one site. As part of the purchase the Dispatch will take control of the Anchorage Daily News building in Anchorage. However, the Dispatch plans to sell the building to a private buyer but the Daily News will stay in the building as a tenant.