The Johnson Newspaper Corp, which owns several St. Lawrence County newspapers, is closing in on sales of the Hudson Register-Star and Catskill Daily Mail in addition to recent similar sales of papers in the Batavia and Oswego areas.

The Schenectady Daily Gazette, another family-owned newspaper company, will be purchasing the Catskill papers, according to reports from the Albany Times Union. The sales are set to close May 1.

Attributing a memo issued to staff at the Johnson Newspaper Corporation, the Times Union reported that Johnson Newspaper costs had become twice as high as revenues. Additionally, the story noted that the chain was being sued in Hudson for what its landlord said was more than $116,000 in back rent.

The Johnson News Corp. owns and operates the Watertown Daily Times, Ogdensburg Journal, Courier-Observer, the St. Lawrence Plaindealer and the Malone Telegram.

Johnson plans to sell four other papers to the Sample News Group – the Oswego County News and Oswego Shopper, Batavia Daily News and Livingston County News according to media reports. The sales are expected to be completed in April and May.

Johnson News Corporation President Alec Johnson and George Sample of Sample News Group made the announcement last week, which was covered by several publications, including thedailynewsonline.com

Sample News Group owns nearly 60 publications in the Tri-State Area of New Jersey, New York Pennsylvania and some of the papers it owns were purchased out of bankruptcy in the last decade.

The Johnson Newspaper Corporation has seen major changes in recent years with the shuttering then reopening of the Ogdensburg Journal and Canton Plaindealer.

In November of 2022, officials announced the cease of operations of the printing press in Massena.

“We will eventually be closing the Massena building. We will be giving opportunities for some staff to work remotely, and others to report to other buildings. There will be some layoffs as well,” a letter issued to staff at that time said. The letter also went on to say that the press will likely be sold.

However, as of November 2022, the press was being used as collateral for a loan from the St. Lawrence County Industrial Development Agency.

“They are current with their payments, the loan is slightly more than half paid off at this point and we expect payments to continue,” St. Lawrence County CEO Patrick Kelly said then.