After a back-and-forth tussle, DallasNews Corporation shareholders approved a merger with Hearst. According to a release, DallasNews Corporation, the holding company of The Dallas Morning News and Medium Giant, announced that shareholders approved the company’s pending merger with Hearst at a special shareholders meeting on September 23.
Subject to the completion of the closing, The Dallas Morning News and Medium Giant will now join Hearst, which owns newspapers including the Houston Chronicle and the Austin-American Statesman.
DallasNews shareholders will receive an all cash consideration of $16.50 per share of DallasNews common stock, and DallasNews will cease to trade as a public company.
Hearst won out over MNG Enterprises, Inc., an affiliate of Alden Global Capital, a New York investment firm that is into buying up newspapers, and which made repeat efforts to purchase DallasNews Corporation, raising their price to $20 per share.
Alden owns more than 200 newspapers including the Chicago Tribune, the Baltimore Sun, the New York Daily News, and the Denver Post, but has shrunk newsrooms with cutbacks and buyouts.
“We would like to thank DallasNews shareholders for voting to approve this important and value creating merger with Hearst, and for securing the future of DallasNews,” said John A. Beckert, Chairman of the Board, DallasNews. “We are proud to have delivered this compelling and certain premium for shareholders, and are confident that The Dallas Morning News and Medium Giant have a bright future ahead as members of the Hearst family.”
“With the agreement now approved, we’re excited to work with our new colleagues at The Dallas Morning News and Medium Giant,” said Jeff Johnson, President of Hearst Newspapers. “Bringing these respected organizations into Hearst fully aligns with our commitment to strengthening trusted, high-impact local media in growing markets, and we look forward to building the future together.”
The transaction is expected to close on or about September 24, 2025.