TownNews CMS and digital publishing solutions chosen for Canadian coalition

DAVENPORT, Iowa, Feb. 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TownNews and Tekan announce an exclusive partnership for TownNews to become the content management system (CMS) and associated technology stack for members of a newly formed coalition of Canadian publishers.

For TownNews, the exclusive partnership opportunity with Tekan provides a launch pad for a major expansion into the Canadian market. TownNews is the leading media CMS in the U.S. but has had, to date, a limited presence in Canada.

Tekan is a new company, formed as a coalition of Canadian publishers that will establish scale across the country to strengthen their position in the digital advertising marketplace and identify cost efficiencies in systems and technology.

TownNews’ solution set was thoroughly vetted against four other CMS vendors before earning Tekan’s endorsement. BLOX CMS is TownNews’ proprietary, mature multimedia publishing system, powering nearly 2,000 websites, and BLOX Total CMS is used for the design of about 1,000 print publications, helping publishers achieve greater production efficiencies. The TownNews stack includes advanced audience and digital subscription technology, accelerating publishers’ growth in subscription revenue; advanced analytics platform; replica e-editions; native apps; integrated email newsletter and social media applications, a video management system; and apps for streaming broadcasting (OTT).

“TownNews is honored and proud to have been selected by Tekan as their CMS of choice after a thorough vetting process. We are a firm believer in Tekan’s mission and think it will serve as a model for other countries,” said Brad Ward, CEO of TownNews.

“We are excited to enter into an exclusive agreement to provide the advantages that scale can provide in lowering costs, eliminating ‘technical debt’ and enabling new features and functionalities to increase revenues that were otherwise out of reach for many publishers,” said Doug Clarke, President of Tekan.

“Torstar is looking forward to becoming the first Canadian publisher to sign up with Tekan for the TownNews solution set,” said Paul Rivett, Chairman and co-owner of Torstar.

With the partnership, Tekan will become the exclusive provider of TownNews technology in Canada. Tekan is a newly formed Canadian company that services publishers and is owned by publishers, based in Toronto. Based in East Moline, IL, TownNews is majority owned by American media company Lee Enterprises.

ABOUT TOWNNEWS

TownNews equips local media organizations with the digital services and guidance to transform their business models and flourish in the digital age. Our tools and expertise in digital, advertising, video, connected TV, and print enable forward-thinking media organizations in dynamic markets to efficiently engage their audiences, increase security and grow revenue.

Fueled by a passion for local media and a 30-year proven track record of success, more than 2,000 news organizations have benefited from the platform and tools we've built specifically for the media industry to thrive. Learn more at http://www.TownNews.com.

ABOUT LEE

Lee Enterprises is a major subscription and advertising platform and a leading provider of local news and information, with daily newspapers, rapidly growing digital products and over 350 weekly and specialty publications serving 77 markets in 26 states. Year to date, Lee's newspapers have average daily circulation of 1.0 million, and our legacy websites, including acquisitions, reach more than 47 million digital unique visitors. Lee's markets include St. Louis, MO; Buffalo, NY; Omaha, NE; Richmond, VA; Lincoln, NE; Madison, WI; Davenport, IA; and Tucson, AZ. Lee Common Stock is traded on NASDAQ under the symbol LEE. For more information about Lee, please visit www.lee.net.

Contact:
Charles Arms
Director of Communications
IR@lee.net
(563) 383-2100