TORSTAR ACQUIRES TEN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS
By Adnews Staff
Torstar Corporation of Toronto has expanded its family of publications. The publishing company announced that its subsidiary, Metroland Printing, Publishing and Distributing, has purchased Eedy Publications. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. The Eedy group of newspapers includes ten weekly newspapers, including the Exeter Times Advocate, the Fergus Elora News Express, the Listowel Banner and the Hanover Saugeen City News as well as a printing plant. According to the company the acquisition continues Metroland's strategy of purchasing newspapers in adjoining markets. This announcement brings Metroland's total number of publications to 59 and increases the weekly editions to 115.
In other Torstar news, the company has announced it will develop an Internet presence for its Harlequin Book Publishing business. Harlequin has signed an agreement to partner with California-based Women.com Networks, an Internet network for women. Under the terms of the agreement Harlequin will integrate into the Women.com network. Torstar's board will also make an equity investment in the network. Women.com will build and maintain the Web site and Harlequin will contribute the editorial content to the site. Promotion of the site will be done through Harlequin novels published annually around the world. The agreement is part of Torstar's strategy to make its Harlequin business the most predominant romance destination on the Web. Torstar Corporation's operations include: the Torstar Daily Newspaper Group, Metroland, Harlequin Enterprises, the Children's Supplementary Educational Publishing Division and holds a 40 per cent interest in ITI Education, a postgraduate information technology education institution.