Carpenter Media Group to acquire The Daily Iberian

New Iberia Newsmedia, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Carpenter Media Group (CMG), has signed a preliminary agreement to acquire The Daily Iberian (New Iberia, Louisiana) from Wick Communications of Sierra Vista, Arizona. Work to complete the transaction is underway.

 Dirks, Van Essen & April, a media merger and acquisition firm based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is representing Wick Communications in the transaction. Terms were not disclosed.

 New Iberia Newsmedia will publish The Daily Iberian, its website and all affiliate publications. CMG also owns nearby newspapers in Louisiana including The (Lake Charles) American Press, The (Bogalusa) Daily News, and L’Observateur (LaPlace). CMG owns and manages newspapers and media companies in Alaska, Georgia, Hawaii, North Carolina, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington. 

 Todd H. Carpenter of Natchez, Mississippi, is chairman of CMG. Tim Prince of Mountain Brook, Alabama, is president and CEO. “We have known the Wick family and the New Iberia community through that friendship for many years. We are pleased to follow them in responsibility for this important institution,” Carpenter said. “We take very seriously our responsibilities to the newspaper, its staff and the community and we will work hard to meet those obligations and produce a newspaper that sets a high bar for its own success and for the success of all who depend on it.”

 "We're grateful to Todd, and Carpenter Media Group, for carrying on the important work of The Daily Iberian,” said Francis Wick, president and CEO of Wick Communications. “The paper will sit in good hands as it continues to serve Iberia parish and the region at large. As a company, and family, we're honored by the culture of southern Louisiana and the support and friendship of so many. Here's to another wonderful chapter in the history of New Iberia."