• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, September 4, 2013

Although Dow Jones is best known as the publisher of The Wall Street Journal, the company also published a number of smaller newspapers through its Local Media Group. That's history, as owner News Corp. is selling off these daily and weekly publications.

News Corp., newly spun off from 21st Century Fox under Rupert Murdoch’s management, announced plans to sell 33 publications -- including eight daily newspapers and 15 weekly newspapers -- to Fortress Investment Group, the majority owner of GateHouse Media.

GateHouse Media, which already owns around 400 community publications and 350 related Web sites, will take over the management of the newspapers and related digital publications.

The list of papers being sold off includes The Times Herald-Record of Middletown, NY; The Cape Cod Times of Hyannis, MA; The Standard-Times of New Bedford, MA; The Pocono Record of Stroudsburg, PA; and The Herald of Portsmouth, NH. Outside the Northeast, the list also includes The Record of Stockton, CA, The Mail Tribune of Medford, OR, and The Daily Tidings of Ashland, OR.

News Corp. isn’t the only big publisher that is shedding smaller newspapers (or all their newspapers) to focus on more profitable properties.

Toward the end of 2011, The New York Times Co. sold its Regional Media Group -- including 16 newspapers and related businesses -- to Halifax Media Holdings LLC for $143 million in cash, and more recently sold The Boston Globe and other properties in its New England Media Group, including The Worcester Telegram & Gazette, to Boston Red Sox owner John W. Henry for a total $70 million.

Tribune Co. is considering bids for newspapers, including its flagship Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times.