News Corp. Increases Borough Coverage, Acquires Two Newspaper Groups

News Corp., owner of The New York Post, has increased its reach to boroughs outside Manhattan with the acquisition of two newspaper groups whose 28 newspapers primarily serve Queens and Brooklyn.

The move will help News Corp. reach the minority populations that have been strongholds of competitor The Daily News, writes The New York Times. The expansion will allow The Post to offer advertisers greater coverage.

The TimesLedger, one of the groups purchased, publishes 16 weekly papers in Queens, for a total circulation of 50,000. The other, Courier-Life, publishes 11 Brooklyn newspapers for a total circulation of 90,000.

The new senior vp of News Corp., Les Goodstein, says he has been looking for community newspaper groups to acquire since January when he joined the company, with a goal of increasing coverage in Brooklyn and Queens. Smaller papers are attractive to advertisers for their lower fees and loyal readership, he says, adding that they are more likely to attract major advertisers to The Post as part of an umbrella company.

News Corp. and analysts both say, however, that the sale will likely have little impact on the competition between the Manhattan dailies, which also include The New York Times and free papers amNew York and Metro.

In March, New York Daily News owner Mort Zuckerman called The Post a tabloid with half the ads, a “hemorrhaging balance sheet,” and “questionable journalistic standards.”