• by Ray Schultz , August 11, 2024

Four Maine newspapers – The Free Press, The Courier-Gazette, Camden Herald and The Republican – are being consolidated into a single title called The Midcoast Villager. 

The combined product will be published by Reade Brower, with Kathleen Fleury Capetta serving as co-publisher. 

“This change is not a cost-saving move; in fact, it is an investment in creating a more robust, impactful product for our region – because we truly believe the health and well-being of our communities is at stake,” Fleury Capetta writes. 

She continues, “We’ve added staff, and in downtown Camden, in 2025, we’re opening the Villager Café – a community café that will serve food and host events that bring our articles to life through concerts, discussions and more.”

Last year, Brower sold 90% of his Maine publications, including the Portland Press Herald, to the Maine Trust for Local News.