EO Media Group
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Media |
Key people | Steve Forrester (President & CEO), Kathryn B. Brown (Vice President) |
| Owner | Carpenter Media Group |
Number of employees | 185 (2024) |
| Website | eomediagroup |
The EO Media Group, previously known as the East Oregonian Publishing Company, is a family-operated newspaper publisher headquartered in Oregon, managing a portfolio of 17 newspapers throughout Oregon and southwestern Washington.
History
EO Media Group has been under the stewardship of the Aldrich and Forrester families for four generations and underwent a name change from its original title in 2013. These families possess a longstanding involvement in regional journalism, including ownership of the East Oregonian and The Daily Astorian. Notable acquisitions over the years comprise the Blue Mountain Eagle (1979), Chinook Observer (1988), Capital Press (1990), Wallowa County Chieftain (2000), North Coast Citizen (2007), and The Hermiston Herald (2008). The company further expanded between 2012 and 2013 by acquiring titles such as Oregon Coast TODAY, Seaside Signal, Cannon Beach Gazette, and the Coast River Business Journal. Some properties were subsequently divested, including the North Coast Citizen in 2011 and the Cannon Beach Gazette in 2019.
In 2014, EO Media Group collaborated with Pamplin Media Group to establish the Oregon Capital Bureau, aimed at strengthening coverage of state government through shared reporting efforts and publishing the Oregon Capital Insider newsletter. This initiative responded to a nationwide reduction in resources dedicated to statehouse journalism.
The media heritage of the Aldrich-Forrester-Bedford-Brown family was chronicled in the 2018 publication Grit and Ink: An Oregon Family's Adventures in Newspapering, 1908–2018, which was published by EO Media Group but written independently.
In 2019, EO Media Group broadened its reach by acquiring several newspapers from Western Communications, including the Baker City Herald, The Observer (La Grande), The Bulletin (Bend), and The Redmond Spokesman, thereby consolidating its presence within Oregon’s newspaper market.
Operational changes took place in 2020 when EO Media ceased printing at its Pendleton facility, outsourcing production to the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin. That same year, ownership of Oregon Coast TODAY was transferred to its editor-publisher.
After the 2023 shutdown of the Mail Tribune, EO Media introduced the new publication Rogue Valley Times. Additionally, that year saw the sale of its longstanding office building in Pendleton.
Amid ongoing industry challenges, EO Media Group announced major reductions in June 2024: eliminating 15% of its workforce, decreasing working hours for some employees, scaling back print editions for flagship newspapers such as The Bend Bulletin, and transitioning five newspapers to digital-only formats.
In October 2024, Carpenter Media Group acquired EO Media Group, initiating a new phase in its corporate governance and international operations.
Awards
EO Media Group earned a premier regional accolade from the Society of Professional Journalists in 2012 for its investigative series titled Fate of Our Forests, competing among newspapers with circulations under 25,000 across Montana to Alaska. The same series from 2011 also received the Dolly Connelly Award for Excellence in Environmental Reporting from the Pacific Northwest Newspaper Association.
Newspapers
| State | City | Publication |
|---|---|---|
| Oregon | Astoria | The Astorian |
| Oregon | Baker City | Baker City Herald |
| Oregon | John Day | Blue Mountain Eagle |
| Oregon | Bend | The Bulletin (Bend) |
| Oregon | Salem | Capital Press |
| Washington | Long Beach | Chinook Observer |
| Washington | Long Beach | Coast River Business Journal |
| Oregon | Pendleton | East Oregonian |
| Oregon | Hermiston | Hermiston Herald |
| Oregon | La Grande | The Observer (La Grande) |
| Oregon | Seaside | Seaside Signal |
| Oregon | Astoria | Our Coast Magazine |
| Oregon | Redmond | Redmond Spokesman |
| Oregon | Enterprise | Wallowa County Chieftain |
| Oregon | Medford | Rogue Valley Times |