Madison Newspapers Inc., publisher of the Wisconsin State Journal and The Capital Times purchased Citizen Newspapers in Beaver Dam, Wis., from Conley Publishing Group on April 1.

Conley Publishing is also the owner of Newspapers & Technology. Ownership and operation of Newspapers & Technology will not change with the acquisition.

Madison Newspapers will acquire the Daily Citizen of Beaver Dam, which publishes a 10,250-circulation afternoon edition Monday through Friday and a 12,500-circulation morning edition on Saturday. The Daily Citizen has been published since 1911. Its predecessor, the Dodge County Citizen, began printing in the mid-1800s.

The sale also includes two weekly newspapers — the Columbus Journal and Neighbors — and several advertising publications, including Tri-County, Shopping Reminder, Monday Mini, Shoppers View and the Monday Marketeer.

Madison Newspapers is owned jointly by Lee Enterprises and The Capital Times Co. It publishes the Wisconsin State Journal and The Capital Times — two daily newspapers that serve Madison, Wis., and its surrounding communities. The company also owns Central Wisconsin Newspapers, which publishes the Portage Daily Register and Baraboo News Republic (Monday through Saturday editions); twice-weekly newspapers in Reedsburg (Reedsburg Times-Press), Mauston (Juneau County Star-Times) and Wisconsin Dells (Wisconsin Dells Events); and the weekly Sauk Prairie Eagle.

Madison Newspapers also publishes Shopper Stopper and Wisconsin Reminder, shoppers and total market coverage products that reach households in Dane, Sauk, Columbia, Juneau, Adams and Marquette counties.

Citizen Newspapers will become part of Central Wisconsin Newspapers.

With the addition of Citizen Newspapers, Madison Newspapers and Central Wisconsin Newspapers form an integrated network of products and publications that reaches about 1 million people in a 17-county market area.

Citizen Printing, as well as current Conley Publishing corporate activities, will remain in Beaver Dam, at the same Park and Beichl Avenue locations.

Conley Publishing Group continues its other corporate activities in Beaver Dam and after the sale remains the community’s largest private employer. The acquisition does not affect the other Conley Group publications in Ozaukee, Washington, Milwaukee and Waukesha counties, or its magazine operations in Tucson, Ariz., and Denver.

The Conley Group will use proceeds of the sale to reduce corporate debt.