Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA once again expands its footprint in the Phoenix Metro market.

The Phoenix group, home of the Daily Independent at YourValley.net, acquired The Fountain Hills Times and its related publications and services in the Fountain Hills and Rio Verde communities. The purchase connects Independent’s Scottsdale publications to the neighboring suburban community.

“We’re beyond ecstatic to have longtime media executives join our growing company. We’ve been blessed to partner with Publisher Brent Cruikshank and General Manager Kip Kirkendoll for years as our customers at Valley Newspapers, our printing operation,” said President and CEO Charlene Bisson. “We welcome valuable team members to our Independent Newsmedia family.”

The Fountain Hills Times will celebrate 50 years in 2024.

“I am so proud of my father, Alan Cruikshank, for giving me the opportunity to become publisher in 2018,” Cruikshank said. “He is a true pioneer of this community and took the chance of starting this newspaper almost 50 years ago in a town that hardly had a population and turned it into a success. I am excited to continue as publisher for Fountain Hills Times and to continue bringing a quality newspaper to this community.”

Valley journalist Ryan Winslett remains the editor of the Fountain Hills publication.

“I’m excited we will move forward with the same team this community has put its trust in for so long,” Winslett said. “Whether we’re reporting the news or providing opportunities for our advertisers to reach their local customers, we will strive to move forward with the same care, dedication and thoroughness our readers have grown accustomed to over the years. We thank everyone for sticking with us for so long and hope that you will all join us on this new adventure.”

Bisson looks forward to new growth.

“As newspapers continue to shrink at alarming rates across the country, the Independent is committed to expanding throughout the Phoenix market so there are no news deserts in our Arizona cities and towns,” Bisson explained. “We’ll continue the good work of the Fountain Hills Times team, but Brent and I are excited for the new synergies we’ll create together for our readers and advertisers.”

The newspaper will be rebranded with the “Fountain Hills Times Independent” name in its masthead.

“The rebranding will give our publications a uniform look and help readers and advertisers throughout the Valley better connect all our publications as being published by Independent Newsmedia,” Bisson added. “More importantly, the name reflects our nonpartisan news values while keeping the tradition of the Cruikshank family.”

Independent Newsmedia has been publishing in Arizona since 1970.

“We love Arizona, and we’ll continue to grow our operations here,” Bisson said.

The company opened two newspapers during the pandemic – Florence and Mesa – and expanded its Scottsdale circulation October 2022. The Arizona group launched the Tempe Independent in April 2022 then acquired JG Media National’s Phoenix operations, which included Community Impact of Chandler, Gilbert and Tempe in July 2022.

Independent Newsmedia owns Valley Newspapers, a state-of-the-art commercial printing plant that is located near Deer Valley Airport. The company also publishes community newspapers in Delaware, the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Florida and owns a press in Delaware.

The company is owned by a nonprofit journalistic trust designed to maintain independence. The organization has no shareholders, no dividends are paid, and all after-tax profits are reinvested in its mission of impartial community journalism.

Charlene Bisson can be reached at cbisson@iniusa.org or followed on Twitter @Charlene_Bisson. Brent Cruikshank can be reached at Brent@fhtimes.com. His new email will be bcruikshank@iniusa.org.