{{Short description|Former media investment company}} {{For|the broadcasting company|Stephens Media Group}} {{Infobox company |name=Stephens Media LLC |type=Private |foundation={{Start date|1940}} (as Donrey Media Group) |founder=Donald W. Reynolds |location=Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. |industry=Newspapers |products=Newspapers, magazines, online |num_employees=2,000+ }} '''Stephens Media LLC''' was a Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, diversified media investment company. It owned stakes in the California Newspapers Partnership and the ''Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette''.

The company once had an interactive Internet business, operating online sites for its newspapers and portal sites like LasVegas.com, which is licensed to Greenspun Media Group. The company was also a partner in the California Newspapers Partnership with MediaNews and Gannett. The company also formed Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC in November 2009, a joint venture with WEHCO Media Inc., in Arkansas.

On November 28, 2010, Stephens Media Iowa, LLC, a subsidiary of Stephens Media, acquired several newspapers, including the ''Ames Tribune'', ''Boone News-Republican'', ''Dallas County News'', ''Nevada Journal'', ''Ames About People & Advertiser'', ''Tri-County Times'', and ''Algona Upper Des Moines'' from Midlands Newspapers Inc., a subsidiary of the Omaha World-Herald Company.<ref>{{cite web|last=Release |first=Press |url=http://www.editorandpublisher.com/Headlines/Article//stephens-media-acquires-ames-ia-tribune |title=Stephens Media Acquires Ames (IA) Tribune—Editor & Publisher ® |publisher=Editorandpublisher.com |date=2010-11-29 |access-date=2013-05-29}}</ref> In August, 2011, the Algona Upper Des Moines was sold to Hallmark Media.<ref>http://www.algona.com/articles/2011/09/01/news/top_news/doc4e5e994a93af0920449983.txt {{Dead link|date=February 2022}}</ref>

In February 2015, Stephens Media was purchased by GateHouse Media for $102.8 million.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-las-vegas/review-journal-parent-stephens-media-to-be-sold-to-new-media/ | work=Las Vegas Review-Journal | title=Review-Journal, parent Stephens Media to be sold to New Media|date=19 February 2015 | access-date=26 November 2017}}</ref> In December 2015, GateHouse sold the ''Las Vegas Review-Journal'', Stephens Media's largest paper, to casino magnate Sheldon Adelson for $140 million.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/03/business/media/sheldon-adelsonspurchase-of-las-vegas-paper-seen-as-a-power-play.html?_r=0 | work=The New York Times | title=Sheldon Adelson's Purchase of Las Vegas Paper Seen as a Power Play|date=2 January 2016 | access-date=26 November 2017}}</ref>

==History== The company was founded as '''Donrey Media Group''' by Arkansas media mogul Donald W. Reynolds and based in Fort Smith, Arkansas. After Reynolds died in 1993 at the age of 86, the company was sold to the Stephens family of Arkansas, known for their Little Rock investment banking business Stephens Inc.

Some of Donrey's properties were sold off, and the company moved its headquarters to Las Vegas, Nevada, home of its largest newspaper, the ''Las Vegas Review-Journal''. The company was renamed Stephens Media Group in 2002. In June 2006, the company became known as Stephens Media LLC. The company has no connection with Stephens Media Group, a radio broadcasting company in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

==Copyright infringements== In 2010, Stephens Media contracted with the litigation firm Righthaven LLC, giving it the power to enforce the company's copyrights<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stephensmedia.com/copyright/ |title=Copyright, Stephens Media LLC. « Stephens Media Interactive |publisher=Stephensmedia.com |access-date=2013-05-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130731092431/http://www.stephensmedia.com/copyright/ |archive-date=2013-07-31 }}</ref> when online violators went beyond the bounds of fair use.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html |title=U.S. Copyright Office - Fair Use |publisher=Copyright.gov |date=2001-09-11 |access-date=2013-05-28}}</ref> More than 141 lawsuits were filed in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas.

In a column published in the RJ shortly after the lawsuits began, former publisher Sherman Frederick, said the primary goal with the partnership with Righthaven was to deter theft of the company's copyrighted materials.<ref>{{cite web|author=Sherman Frederick |url=http://www.reviewjournal.com/columns-blogs/sherman-frederick/copyright-theft-were-not-taking-it-anymore |title=Copyright theft: We're not taking it anymore &#124; Las Vegas Review-Journal |publisher=Lvrj.com |date=2010-05-28 |access-date=2013-05-28}}</ref> He said if the company was successful, he hoped Righthaven would find other media clients. Eventually, WEHCO Media, which owns the ''Arkansas Democrat-Gazette'' and the ''Chattanooga Times Free Press'', signed on with the firm.<ref>[http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=134780 ] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903154755/http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=134780 |date=September 3, 2011 }}</ref> MediaNews Group has also used Righthaven to file a copyright infringement suit.

The aggressive enforcement of the Stephens Media copyrights by Righthaven was being closely watched by other publishers, as is the debate it has generated.<ref name="poynter1">{{cite web|last=Hochberg |first=Adam |url=http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/making-sense-of-news/105309/are-newspaper-copyright-lawsuits-fair-enforcement-or-legal-extortion/ |title=Are Newspaper Copyright Lawsuits Fair Enforcement or 'Legal Extortion'? &#124; Poynter |publisher=Poynter. |date=2010-08-30 |access-date=2013-05-28}}</ref> Critics of the relatively new practice have coined it 'copyright trolling', and argue that the purpose of such enforcement is to make a profit.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Kravets |first=David |url=https://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/07/copyright-trolling-for-dollars/ |title=Newspaper Chain's New Business Plan: Copyright Suits &#124; Threat Level |magazine=Wired |publisher=Wired.com |date=2010-07-23 |access-date=2013-05-28}}</ref> In the Poynter article, former Stephens Media general counsel Mark Hinueber said the goal was to make sure the company's intellectual rights were protected. "We were seeing our entire work product in some stories just being right-clicked and cut and pasted into blogs, where people were selling Google ads around them and making money."<ref name="poynter1"/> The ''Las Vegas Sun'' thoroughly documented Righthaven's activities and the response. The ''Sun''’s outside law firm, Lewis and Roca, defended several of the Righthaven suits.

Targets of the Righthaven lawsuits included bloggers, political forums, major political parties, and several of the newspaper's own sources including NORML, DailyPaul.com, InfoWars, Free Republic, and others.<ref>{{cite web|author=Cynthia Conlin says |url=http://thedailyrecord.com/ontherecord/2010/08/04/what-happens-in-the-las-vegas-review-journal/ |title=Copyright sleuthing (or, What happens in The Las Vegas Review-Journal…) &#124; On the Record |publisher=Mddailyrecord.com |date=2010-08-04 |access-date=2013-05-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.righthavenlawsuits.com/lawsuits.html |title=List of Righthaven Lawsuits |publisher=Righthavenlawsuits.com |access-date=2013-05-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100905013016/http://www.righthavenlawsuits.com/lawsuits.html |archive-date=2010-09-05 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.law.com/jsp/cc/PubArticleCC.jsp?id=1202466627090 |title=Is This the Birth of the Copyright Troll? |website=www.law.com |access-date=3 February 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130427013434/http://www.law.com/jsp/cc/PubArticleCC.jsp?id=1202466627090 |archive-date=27 April 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> On August 25, 2010, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) announced that they would make efforts to assist Righthaven LLC defendants to the best of their ability.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/08/eff-seeks-righthaven-defendants |title=EFF Seeks to Help Righthaven Defendants &#124; Electronic Frontier Foundation |publisher=Eff.org |date=2010-08-25 |access-date=2013-05-28}}</ref>

Righthaven's lawsuits came under increasing judicial scrutiny, which led to Righthaven being found in June 2011 to lack standing to sue for alleged infringement of copyrighted material to which it holds only a limited license, as such a license does not confer the right to sue for infringement. Sanctions against Righthaven and its attorney, Steven A. Gibson, of Nevada law firm Dickinson Wright, were being contemplated by one judge. Righthaven later had its assets seized to pay judgments levied against it in lawsuits it filed against those whom it said infringed on the copyrights of clients. As a result, copyrights which had been "sold" by Stephens to Righthaven were "sold back" to Stephens for $80,000 to pay legal fees.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130316/02363422348/righthaven-copyrights-sold-back-to-stephens-media-80k-to-pay-legal-fees.shtml |title=Righthaven Copyrights 'Sold' Back To Stephens Media For $80k To Pay Legal Fees |last1=Masnick |first1=Mike |date=March 18, 2013 |website=techdirt.com |access-date=15 May 2013}}</ref>

==Joint venture== <!-- linked to from WEHCO Media --> In September 2009, Stephens Media and WEHCO Media Inc., owner of the ''Arkansas Democrat-Gazette'', announced plans to combine their newspaper operations in Northwest Arkansas and operate as a single company.<ref>{{cite web|author=Lance Turner |date=September 3, 2009 |url=https://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article/38797/updated-democrat-gazette-stephens-media-plan-joint-venture-in-northwest-arkansas |title=UPDATED: Democrat-Gazette, Stephens Media Plan Joint Venture in Northwest Arkansas |work=Arkansas Business News |access-date=April 13, 2021 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> The venture was approved in November 2009 by the U.S. Justice Department, and a new Arkansas limited liability company, Northwest Arkansas Newspaper LLC, was formed. Stephens Media sold its interest in the joint venture to WEHCO on May 5, 2016, which then assumed all control of operations of the newspapers in the joint venture.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Bahn|first1=Chris|url=https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2016/may/15/wehco-media-announces-changes-20160515/ |title=WEHCO Media announces changes |website=Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette|date=May 26, 2016 |access-date=April 13, 2021}}</ref>

Newspapers in the joint venture included: *''The Springdale Morning News'' *''The Rogers Morning News'' *''Northwest Arkansas Times''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nwaonline.com |title=Northwest Arkansas News - Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, Bentonville |publisher=NWAonline |access-date=2013-05-28}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=April 2021}} *''Benton County Daily Record''

== Former Holdings == *''Stephens Press'' *''Hawgs Illustrated'' magazine, Springdale, Ark., part of joint venture with WEHCO Media *''Luxury Las Vegas'' magazine, Las Vegas, Nevada *''Arkansasnews.com''

===Former newspapers by state=== '''Arkansas''' *''Southwest Times Record'', Fort Smith '''(DAILY)''' #''Press Argus Courier'', Van Buren ('''Weekly''', Wed. & Sat.)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pressargus.com/?j |title=Press Argus-Courier |publisher=Pressargus.com |access-date=2013-05-28}}</ref> #''Booneville Democrat'', Booneville ('''Weekly''', Wed. & Sat.)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://boonevilledemocrat.com/ |title=Booneville Democrat |publisher=Booneville Democrat |access-date=2013-05-28}}</ref> #''Charleston Express'', Charleston ('''Weekly''', Wed. & Sat.)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://charlestonexpress.com/ |title=Charleston Express |publisher=Charleston Express |access-date=2013-05-28}}</ref> #''Greenwood Democrat'', Greenwood ('''Weekly''', Wed. & Sat.)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://greenwooddemocrat.com/ |title=Greenwood Democrat |publisher=Greenwood Democrat |access-date=2013-05-28}}</ref> #''Paris Express'', Paris ('''Weekly''', Wed. & Sat.)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://paris-express.com/ |title=Paris Express |publisher=Paris Express |access-date=2013-05-28}}</ref> *''Pine Bluff Commercial'', Pine Bluff '''(DAILY)'''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pbcommercial.com/ |title=Pine Bluff Commercial Online |publisher=Pbcommercial.com |access-date=2013-05-28}}</ref> #''White Hall Progress'', White Hall ('''Weekly''', Wed. & Sat.)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pbcommercial.com/white-hall |title=White Hall &#124; Pine Bluff Commercial Online |publisher=Whitehallprogress.com |access-date=2013-05-28}}</ref> *Central Arkansas weeklies (group of weekly newspapers that operated under one publisher) #''North Little Rock Times'', North Little Rock ('''Weekly''', Thurs.)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pulaskinews.net/north-little-rock-times |title=North Little Rock Times &#124; Pulaski News |publisher=Nlrtimes.com |date=2013-05-23 |access-date=2013-05-28}}</ref> #''Jacksonville Patriot'', Jacksonville ('''Weekly''', Wed.)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pulaskinews.net/jacksonville-patriot |title=Pulaski News |publisher=Jacksonville Patriot |access-date=2013-05-28}}</ref> #''Sherwood Voice'', Sherwood ('''Weekly''', Thurs.)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pulaskinews.net/sherwood-voice |title=Pulaski News |publisher=Sherwood Voice |access-date=2013-05-28}}</ref> #''Maumelle Monitor'', Maumelle ('''Weekly''', Thurs.)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pulaskinews.net/maumelle-monitor |title=Pulaski News |publisher=Maumelle Monitor |date=2013-05-23 |access-date=2013-05-28}}</ref> #''Cabot Star-Herald'', Cabot ('''Weekly''', Wed.)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lonokenews.net/cabot-star-herald |title=Lonoke News |publisher=Cabot Star-Herald |access-date=2013-05-28}}</ref> #''Lonoke Democrat'', Lonoke ('''Weekly''', Thurs.)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lonokenews.net/lonoke-democrat |title=Lonoke News |publisher=Lonoke Democrat |access-date=2013-05-28}}</ref> #''Carlisle Independent'', Carlisle ('''Weekly''', Wed.)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lonokenews.net/carlisle-independent |title=Lonoke News |publisher=Carlisle Independent |access-date=2013-05-28}}</ref> #''Hot Springs Village Voice'', Hot Springs Village ('''Weekly''', Wed.)<ref>{{cite web|author=CAROLE SJOLANDER Staff writer |url=http://hsvvoice.com/?i |title=Headlines &#124; www.hsvvoice.com &#124; Hot Springs Village Voice |publisher=www.hsvvoice.com |access-date=2013-05-28}}</ref> #''Saline County Voice'', Benton ('''Weekly''', Thurs.) #''Van Buren County Democrat'', Clinton ('''Weekly''', Thurs.)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://vanburencountydem.com/ |title=Van Buren County Democrat |publisher=Vanburencountydem.com |access-date=2013-05-28}}</ref>

'''Iowa''' *''Ames Tribune'', Ames, IA '''(DAILY)''' #''Boone News-Republican'', Boone, IA '''(DAILY)'''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://newsrepublican.com |title=Boone News-Republican |publisher=Newsrepublican.com |access-date=2013-05-29}}</ref> # ''Dallas County News'', ('''Weekly''')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://adelnews.com |title=Dallas County News |publisher=Adelnews.com |access-date=2013-05-29}}</ref> #''Algona Upper Des Moines'', Algona, IA ('''Weekly''')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.algona.com/ |title=Algona Upper Des Moines > Front |publisher=Algona.com |date=2013-05-23 |access-date=2013-05-28}}</ref> #''Nevada Journal'', Nevada, IA ('''Weekly''')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nevadaiowajournal.com |title=Nevada Iowa Journal |publisher=Nevada Iowa Journal |access-date=2013-05-29}}</ref> #''Tri-County Times'', Nevada, IA ('''Weekly''')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tricountytimes.com |title=Tri-County Times |publisher=Tri-County Times |access-date=2013-05-29}}</ref> #''Ames Sun'', Ames, IA ('''Weekly''') #''Story County Advertiser'', Ames, IA ('''Weekly''') '''Nevada''' #''Ely Times'', Ely, NV ('''Weekly''', Fri.)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elynews.com/ |title=The Ely Times: Serving Nevada's White Pine County since 1920 |publisher=Elynews.com |access-date=2013-05-28}}</ref> #''Rebel Nation'', Las Vegas, NV ('''Monthly''', 1st of month)<ref>{{cite web|last=Carp |first=Steve |url=http://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/unlv-rebels |title=UNLV Rebels &#124; Las Vegas Review-Journal |publisher=Rebelnation.reviewjournal.com |access-date=2013-05-28}}</ref> #''Eureka Sentinel'', Eureka, NV ('''twice Weekly''', Wed. & Fri.) #''Lincoln County Record'' ('''Weekly''')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lccentral.com/ |title=The Lincoln County Record |publisher=The Lincoln County Record |access-date=2013-05-28}}</ref>

'''North Carolina''' *''Courier-Tribune'', Asheboro, NC '''(DAILY)'''

'''Oklahoma''' *''Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise'', Bartlesville, OK '''(DAILY)''' #''Pawhuska Journal-Capital'', Pawhuska, OK ('''twice Weekly''', Wed. & Sat.)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pawhuskajournalcapital.com/ |title=Pawhuska Journal Capital |publisher=Pawhuska Journal Capital |access-date=2013-05-28}}</ref>

'''Texas''' *''The Herald Democrat'', Sherman/Denison TX '''(DAILY except Saturday)''' #''Anna-Melissa Tribune'', Anna, TX ('''Weekly''')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://amtrib.com/ |title=Anna-Melissa Tribune |publisher=Amtrib.com |access-date=2013-05-29}}</ref> #''Grayson County Shopper'', Sherman, TX ('''Weekly''') #''Prosper Press'', Prosper, TX ('''Weekly''')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://prosperpressnews.com |title=Prosper Press News |publisher=Prosper Press News |access-date=2013-05-29}}</ref> #''Van Alstyne Leader'', Van Alstyne, TX ('''Weekly''')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://vanalstyneleader.com |title=The Van Alstyne Leader |publisher=The Van Alstyne Leader |access-date=2013-05-29}}</ref> #''Lake Texoma Life'', Kingston, TX ('''Monthly''', 1st of month)

'''Tennessee''' *''The Daily Herald'', Columbia, TN '''(DAILY)''' #''The Advertiser News'', Spring Hill, TN ('''Weekly''', Wed.) #''The Value Guide'', Columbia, TN ('''Weekly''', Tues.) #''Franklin Life'', Franklin, TN ('''Monthly''', 15th of month)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cdh.columbiadailyherald.com/affiliate/franklinlife/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130628225802/http://cdh.columbiadailyherald.com/affiliate/franklinlife/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-06-28 |title=Franklin Life |publisher=Cdh.columbiadailyherald.com |date=2013-05-16 |access-date=2013-05-29}}</ref> #''Brentwood Life'', Brentwood, TN ('''Monthly''', 1st of month)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cdh.columbiadailyherald.com/affiliate/brentwoodlife/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130628222216/http://cdh.columbiadailyherald.com/affiliate/brentwoodlife/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-06-28 |title=Brentwood Life |publisher=Cdh.columbiadailyherald.com |date=2013-05-16 |access-date=2013-05-29}}</ref> #''Healthy Living'', Columbia, TN ('''Monthly''', 3rd Wed. each month)

===Former news bureaus=== * Carson City, Nevada * Washington, DC * Little Rock, Arkansas<ref>{{cite web|url=http://arkansasnews.com/ |title=Arkansas News |publisher=Arkansas News |date=2013-05-22 |access-date=2013-05-28}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist|colwidth=33em}}

{{Gannett}} {{Authority control}}

Category:Newspapers published in Nevada Category:Newspaper companies of the United States Category:Companies based in Las Vegas Category:Privately held companies based in the Las Vegas Valley Category:Publishing companies established in 1940 Category:1940 establishments in Arkansas Category:1993 mergers and acquisitions Category:2015 mergers and acquisitions