Great River Media said Thursday that it would immediately start producing Capital Parent, an Ottawa parenting newspaper and website, as well as Centre Ice, a local minor hockey publication.
Great River Media owns Ottawa Business Journal as well as several other publications, including the Kitchissippi Times, iRun and Ottawa at Home.
Capital Parent and Centre Ice are both free distribution products that were previously produced by Anderson Publishing.
Centre Ice will become the official publication of the Ottawa 67's and will be distributed at the team’s home games.
Founded in 1995, Capital Parent also operates the annual Capital Parent & Kid Show, which will continue.
Local print advertising is the primary source of revenues for both publications. GRM CEO Mark Sutcliffe conceded in an interview that the weak economic growth predicted for Ottawa in the coming years will act as a drag on the local advertising market, but said short-term forecasts are “not much of a consideration” in pursuing new publications.
“We’re trying to grow this business for the next 10, 15 and 20 years,” he said.
“There are going to be boom periods during that time, and there will be down periods as well … Even in tough economic times, there are lots of businesses that want to get creative about how they reach potential customers.”
Mr. Sutcliffe said that while mass-media products continue to face significant challenges, niche publications are “vibrant and growing.”
While GRM intends to enhance the digital presence of Centre Ice and Capital Parent, Mr. Sutcliffe said print remains “a very user-friendly vehicle, especially targeted free distribution publications in high-traffic locations.”
Centre Ice, for example, is distributed at local arenas and hockey-oriented retailers.
Mr. Sutcliffe said GRM plans to continue to grow through acquisitions and is looking for similar opportunities.
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