SONOMA MEDIA INVESTMENTS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH KENWOOD INVESTMENTS ACQUIRES THE SONOMA COUNTY GAZETTE

Santa Rosa, CA:  Sonoma Media Investments (SMI) LLC, has announced its purchase of the Sonoma County Gazette from Vesta Copestakes, publisher and owner of the Gazette since 2003.  The Sonoma County Gazette will continue as a monthly publication written by readers and local residents with 35,000 printed copies distributed to 1,000 locations throughout Sonoma County.  Vesta will continue as Publisher in 2020 to assure a seamless transition in ownership.

“I am thrilled to tell our readers and contributors that there is life for the Gazette after me,” said Vesta Copestakes.  “I was afraid that finding someone to carry on the Gazette’s tradition of community-generated content would be impossible until I talked to everyone at Sonoma Media Investments.  I’m now confident the Gazette will be in good hands.”  “We welcome the addition of the Sonoma County Gazette into our portfolio of local products,” said Darius Anderson, principal owner of SMI and CEO of Kenwood Investments.  “And we will continue the fine tradition of local community content that Vesta has nurtured for many years.”

Steve Falk, CEO of SMI, added, “The Gazette reaches deep into our local towns and neighborhoods.  It creates a strong sense of community by reaching more than 150,000 readers every month and will be a perfect fit with our daily and weekly publications.”

The deal, which closed Dec. 27, 2019, was brokered by Ken Amundson, senior associate for the Western United States for Grimes, McGovern & Associates, and Dave Gauger, broker with Gauger Media.

About the Sonoma County Gazette:   The Sonoma County Gazette evolved over the past 18 years from a 12-page newsletter published by the Forestville Chamber of Commerce to the current 72-page monthly magazine serving the entire county.  Content in the Gazette is written by readers who have knowledge and/or expertise in the subject matter of their articles.

About Sonoma Media Investments:  Sonoma Media Investments LLC, was formed in 2012 by Darius Anderson and several local investors to return the Pulitzer Prize winning Press Democrat, Petaluma Argus Courier and the North Bay Business Journal to local ownership.  Today it also includes The Sonoma Index-Tribune, Sonoma Magazine, Spirited Magazine, La Prensa Sonoma and now the Sonoma County Gazette.  Readership of these print and digital products reach seven out of 10 adults in Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino counties.

About Kenwood Investments, LLC:

Kenwood Investments LLC has managed a variety of real estate and business acquisitions and entrepreneurial ventures totaling in excess of more than $1 billion over the past 20 years, including extraordinary investments in real estate development, tourism, media and high-tech industries. Led by founder and Chief Executive Officer Darius Anderson, Kenwood Investments is skilled in land entitlements, pre-venture capital funding and public policy, executing projects with strong investment returns that enhance local communities. Kenwood Investments was responsible for forming Sonoma Media Investments in 2012 for the purposes of saving the local newspapers including the Press Democrat.