By Matt Sepic, KWMU
St. Louis – One of the most well-known newspaper publishers in the country is no more.
Friday, St. Louis-based Pulitzer Incorporated finalized its sale to Lee Enterprises of Davenport, Iowa.
Lee gets the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and 13 other dailies as part of the $1.5 billion deal.
The purchase makes Lee the seventh largest newspaper company in terms of circulation. And the Post is now its largest publication.
CEO Mary Junck says the paper will operate as it always has.
"Lee is a big believer in local autonomy," Junck said. "We believe in having strong publishers and editors and managers in the field who know the markets and who figure out what's right for that market."
Also Friday, Post-Dispatch Publisher Terrance Egger was elected a vice president of Lee.
Pulitzer officials had been seeking a buyer for several months before they announced the sale to Lee in January.