• by Ray Schultz , February 8, 2025

Hearst Corp., which owns San Francisco Chronicle, will soon close a deal to acquire Santa Rosa Press Democrat, The San Francisco Standard reports.  

The agreement, which is in the low eight figures, would include Petaluma Argus-Courier and Sonoma Index-Tribune, the Standard adds. It could close within a few months.  

The Chronicle and Press Democrat would maintain separate newsrooms, but back office functions would be united, the report continues. 

“I will say this, the original investor group, including myself, is aging, and there has been general discussion about passing off or selling the newspapers to some financially capable entities,” says Douglas Bosco, a former U.S. congressman who is a member of the Press Democrat’s ownership group, the Standard writes.