Ballantine Communications and Pine River Publishing Complete Pine River Times Transaction

DURANGO and BAYFIELD, Colo., Jan. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Ballantine Communications, Inc. (Ballantine) and Pine River Publishing Corporation (Pine River) announced today that the sale of the Pine River Times is now complete.

Ballantine acquired substantially all of the assets which comprise the newspaper operations of the Pine River Times located in Bayfield, Colorado. Ballantine will maintain the Pine River Times office located on historic Mill Street which will host the journalists who will continue to chronicle the lives and events of the residents in the communities of Bayfield, Ignacio and Vallecito Lake.

Melanie Mazur, co-owner and Publisher of the Pine River Times said "We are pleased the transaction has closed and we look forward to serving our local communities with the financial and operational support of Ballantine Communications." Melanie will join Ballantine Communications as Managing Editor of the Pine River Times effective immediately.

Doug Bennett, CEO of Ballantine Communications said "This transaction is beneficial to all parties concerned. It allows the Pine River Times to maintain a local focus while leveraging Ballantine Communications' expertise in printing, distribution and online publishing." Bennett also indicated that he was pleased that the Pine River Times is now part of the Ballantine family of companies that are committed to serving the Four Corners market.

About Pine River Publishing

Pine River Publishing is the owner of the Pine River Times which publishes a weekly newspaper that serves the communities of Bayfield, Ignacio, Vallecito Lake and Arboles, Colorado. The website can be found at www.pinerivertimes.com.

About Ballantine Communications

Ballantine Communications is a digital media company located in Durango, Colorado.  Ballantine publishes the Durango Herald, Cortez Journal, Delores Star and Mancos Times newspapers. Ballantine also publishes the Directory Plus listings for Southwest Colorado and Northern New Mexico. Ballantine Digital Media provides advertisers with web hosting and internet marketing services throughout the Four Corners market.

Contact: Angela Helfrich, 1-970-375-4572

SOURCE Ballantine Communications