Taconic News paper bought by Fox News Channel president

HARLEM VALLEY — The Taconic Newspapers chain of weekly papers, owned by the Journal Register Company of Yardley, Pa., which filed for Chapter 11 in February, was purchased by Roger Ailes on April 3, 2009.

The Taconic chain operated eight weeklies in the Hudson Valley region, including: the Harlem Valley Times in Amenia, the Register Herald in Pine Plains, the Millbrook Round Table, the Voice Ledger of Pleasant Valley, the Pawling News Chronicle, the Hyde Park Townsman, the Gazette Advertiser of Rhinebeck, Weekend and Dutchess magazines and the Hudson Valley Guide.

Ailes is well known in the media world. He is president of Fox News Channel as well as chairman of the Fox Television Stations Group. Ailes has had a long career in the business — he worked as a consultant for three presidents: George H. W. Bush, Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon.

Ailes and his wife, Elizabeth, announced last Friday that they will be immediately resurrecting the Putnam County Courier, which is based out of Cold Spring. Ailes said he is not focusing on the other weeklies published under the Taconic Press umbrella at this time.

Elizabeth will sit at the helm of the new Putnam County paper, as publisher and executive editor. She already has experience running a paper; she currently serves as publisher of the Putnam County News and Recorder, which Ailes purchased in July of 2008.

The Harlem Valley Times had covered the Amenia area since 1913. The Independent had covered the Roe Jan area of Columbia County for 36 years.

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