Craig Fuller has purchased financially struggling media outlets before, but took a leap on Thursday with the purchase of the Chattanooga Times Free Press, the 157-year-old daily newspaper that launched the career of legendary publisher Adolph S. Ochs.
In presentations to Times Free Press staff and a press conference, Fuller, who will lead the newspaper as CEO, laid out a vision for turning the publication into a profitable venture laser-focused on local news while expanding its reach and mediums.
Fuller’s goal is to nearly double digital subscribers to the Times Free Press by 2030, while doubling the company’s revenue per employee by the end of the year, he told employees. The paper has 12,800 digital subscribers, according to data Fuller presented to staff.
The paper will continue publishing online and in print during a period of transition, said Fuller and Ellis Smith, a former Times Free Press reporter who will be the paper’s president. The Times Free Press has been named the top large newspaper in the state by the Tennessee Press Association for the past two years.
Fuller and his father, Max Fuller, purchased the paper from Arkansas-based WEHCO Media Inc. and the Hussman family in a deal set to close at 11:59 p.m. Thursday. The parties did not disclose the price of the sale.