United Communications Corporation
| Private | |
| Industry | Newspapers, television |
| Founded | 1961 |
| Headquarters | 5800 7th Ave., Kenosha, Wisconsin 53140 USA |
Key people | Lucy Brown Minn, president |
| Products | Kenosha News and two other daily newspapers; three TV stations |
| Website |
ucclocalmedia |
United Communications Corporation (UCC) is a privately owned publisher and operator of three daily newspapers, several weekly newspapers and three television stations in the U.S. states of Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. The company is based at the headquarters of its original and flagship property, the Kenosha News of Kenosha, Wisconsin.
History
Founded in 1961 by the Brown family, upon its purchase of the News, the company added a Massachusetts newspaper in the 1970s, buying two competing newspapers—the Attleboro Sun and North Attleborough Chronicle—and merging them into The Sun Chronicle.[1]
UCC then entered the television business through two sales mandated by Federal Communications Commission (FCC) competition rules. The Watertown Daily Times of Watertown, New York, sold WWNY-TV for $8.2 million in 1981;[2] the national media chain Lee Enterprises sold KEYC-TV in Mankato, Minnesota, in 1977.
In the 21st century, UCC added its last two properties, founding WNYF-LP, a low-power television station in Watertown, New York, in 2001, and a year later buying the Watertown Public Opinion in eastern South Dakota.[1]
Owner and President Howard J. Brown died April 29, 2011.[3]
In March 2013, his daughter Lucy Brown Minn was named president of the company. Her mother, Elizabeth K. Brown, serves as chairwoman of the board.
Properties
UCC's newspaper holdings include three daily newspapers and their associated weeklies:
- Kenosha News of Kenosha, Wisconsin (also covering northeastern Illinois), acquired 1961.
- The Sun Chronicle of Attleboro, Massachusetts, acquired 1970.
- Watertown Public Opinion of Watertown, South Dakota (also covering western Minnesota), acquired 2002.
UCC's broadcast holdings include three television stations:
- KEYC-TV, a CBS (DT1) and Fox (DT2) affiliate, of Mankato, Minnesota, acquired 1977.
- WWNY-TV, a CBS affiliate, of Watertown, New York, acquired 1981.
- WNYF-CD, a Fox affiliate, of Watertown, New York, founded 2001.
References
- 1 2 "Family Tradition Will Continue in Watertown, SD" Archived October 28, 2006, at the Wayback Machine.. Press release, Dirks, Van Essen and Murray. March 31, 2002. Accessed February 26, 2007.
- ↑ "50 Years of Service to the North Country" Archived February 20, 2007, at the Wayback Machine., WWNY-TV Website. Accessed February 26, 2007.
- ↑ "Howard J. Brown dies." Kenosha News. Retrieved 2011-04-29.