Tribune Co., Gannett Co. Inc., Hearst Corp. and The New York Times Co. last month launched quadrantONE, a joint venture aimed at selling ads on local news Web sites. QuadrantONE will offer advertisers the ability to deliver their brands and messages on hundreds of newspaper and other media sites, the companies said.

Each of the companies will dedicate a certain amount of inventory to the venture, enabling advertisers to purchase customized campaigns.

The venture said it’s open to other affiliate companies that want to participate. According to Bloomberg, the venture won’t sell ads for The New York Times or USA Today.

The News & Advance in Lynchburg, Va., last month went on-edition with a singlewide Comet press from Koenig & Bauer AG, capping off a $26 million printing improvement project. The newspaper built a five-story addition to house the press, which replaced a 34-year-old machine. In order to conserve space, the Comet was designed vertically instead of horizontally, a first for KBA in the United States, according to the paper. In addition to the press, The News & Advance also upgraded its mailroom, anchored by a K&M Newspaper Services inserting line.

Postpress vendor Gammerler AG was purchased by German materials handling company Bielenberg Beteiligungs GmbH. No financial terms were disclosed. Gunter Gammerler continues to manage the firm’s Palmetto, Fla., U.S. subsidiary, the company said.

Meantime, FASTechnology Group LLC completed its purchase of Enternet LLC, a transaction the companies announced last November.

Joe Hattrup, founder and president of Glen Carbon, Ill.-based FASTechnology, will head the combined company, which will retain the FASTechnology moniker.

John Sprieser, chairman of Enternet, retired and Bob Davidson, Enternet’s former president and chief operating officer, is directing FASTechnology’s newspaper business division for a transition period and all current customers will continue to be supported.

Goss International Corp. said the installation of continental Europe’s first Flexible Printing System is under way at F.D. Hoekstra Boom in Emmeloord, the Netherlands, with commissioning expected this spring.

When fully installed, the 4-by-2 press will be configured as two four-high towers with a 22.83-inch cutoff and a 66-inch web width.

The Los Angeles Newspaper Group said it would begin using software from Classified Concepts to support its online open house marketing program. LANG will roll out Classified Concepts’ Open House Locator software on its SoCalHomeSite.com. The app will let readers quickly pinpoint the open houses they want to visit.

One year ago

The Daily New Hampshire Gazette in Northampton, Mass., buys an S4 flexographic press from Italian vendor Cerutti Group to anchor a new production facility.

Five years ago

The meltdown of standard newsprint pricing during the third quarter of 2002 is driving North American paper mills to the brink — again. In response, all the major mills plan price increases this spring.

10 years ago

Newly formed Kodak Polychrome Graphics reaches an agreement to acquire Horsell Anitec.

15 years ago

Sun Chemical Corp. introduces Eclipse, a soybean oil-based offset newspaper ink.