local
M ANDY GOTLIEB | JE EDITOR
Jewish Exponent Sold to
Mid-Atlantic Media
id-Atlantic Media, LLC,
bought, effective Feb. 28,
the 135-year-old Jewish
Exponent from the Jewish Publishing
Group, a subsidiary of the Jewish
Federation of Greater Philadelphia.

The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Mid-Atlantic Media, which is based
near Baltimore, pledged to maintain
local news operations for the Exponent,
which is the second-oldest continu-
ously published Jewish newspaper in
the United States.

Mid-Atlantic Media CEO and
Publisher Craig Burke said that the
acquisition fits in well with the compa-
ny’s strategic plans.

“The Jewish Exponent has always
been one of the preeminent Jewish pub-
lications in the country,” he said. “Seven
years ago, we considered it an honor
and privilege to help provide custom
media services to the Jewish Exponent.

Now, the opportunity to acquire the
Exponent and bring it into our corpo-
rate media portfolio is a true thrill.”
The Exponent was founded by 43
prominent Philadelphians and debuted
on April 15, 1887, at 14 pages with
sermon recaps, synagogue updates,
society tidbits and foreign news. Over
time, the paper grew in size, adding
opinion columns, obituaries, debates
about Zionism and extensive coverage
of major world events.

When the paper floundered finan-
cially in the 1940s, real estate magnate
Albert M. Greenfield bought it and
turned it over in 1944 to the Allied
Jewish Appeal — the precursor of the
local Jewish Federation.

In 1962, The Philadelphia Inquirer
touted the paper as “the largest Anglo-
Jewish weekly in the United States.”
It averaged around 40 pages per issue
then and grew as large as 100 pages per
issue in the late 1980s.

The Jewish Federation addressed the
paper’s sale in a letter to the Jewish
6 Jewish Exponent in 1943
Jewish Exponent in 1981
Jewish Exponent anniversary issue in
2017 paying tribute to 1887 masthead
Photos by Andy Gotlieb
community. “We are immensely proud to have
been the stewards of our community’s
news for nearly eight decades and are
excited that such a powerhouse in the
Jewish publishing business will now
take over the reins,” the letter reads.

“Importantly, this change in own-
ership will also enable the Jewish
Federation to have greater human and
financial resources dedicated to serv-
ing the community. In the months and
years to come, the Jewish Federation
will continue to address the communi-
ty’s most critical needs while also part-
nering with the many thriving Jewish
agencies, schools and synagogues to
ensure a vibrant, inclusive and wel-
coming Jewish community of Greater
Philadelphia for generations to come.”
Jewish Federation and President
Michael Balaban said the move makes
sense for multiple reasons.

“It’s a business you (Mid-Atlantic
Media) should be in, and we shouldn’t
be in,” he said. “Organizations like ours
have to focus on what we do best.”
Balaban noted that the trend has
been away from Federations owning
papers — most have already divested
themselves. For the local Jewish Federation,
MARCH 3, 2022 | JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
three factors came into play, Balaban
said. Aside from Jewish Federation
not being a good fit in the publishing
industry, the paper was operating at a
loss, leaving less money available for
the organization’s core purposes. And
in today’s highly polarized world, it’s
hard to please everyone, he said.

He said conservatives called the
paper too liberal, while liberals com-
plained the paper was too conserva-
tive. Some organizations thought they
weren’t featured enough in the paper,
while others opposed stories they
thought weren’t favorable.

“Our steadfast commitment to
engage, educate, entertain and con-
nect Jews across the religious, political,
demographic and geographic spectra
of our community has never wavered,”
Jewish Federation said in its statement.

“However, the ever-changing landscape
of print media can make owning a local
Jewish newspaper challenging to main-
tain. In Mid-Atlantic Media, the paper
will have proven experts in the field
focusing on its growth, development
and relevance in the marketplace.”
For those that receive the Jewish
Exponent as a gift from Jewish
Federation for a donation once made to
the Jewish Community Fund, that will
continue. Mid-Atlantic Media will con-
tact subscribers occasionally to update
contact information.

Mid-Atlantic Media first became
associated with the Exponent in 2015
when it was hired to operate the paper’s
editorial and production departments.

“Jewish publications build and
strengthen Jewish community with
their content, both in print and digi-
tally,” Burke said. “We look forward to
providing valuable content to Jewish
readers in the Greater Philadelphia
area and helping our advertisers grow
their business.”
In addition, in 2021, Mid-Atlantic
Media bought Philadelphia-based par-
enting magazine MetroKids.

The company also publishes
Baltimore’s Child, Baltimore Jewish
Times, Baltimore Style, Consumer’s
Eye Magazine, Frederick’s Child,
Home Services Magazine, Montgomery
Magazine, Washington Family and
Washington Jewish Week.

The company also operates a sub-
stantial national custom media divi-
sion providing services to clients
throughout the Mid-Atlantic region;
Key West, Florida; Pittsburgh; New
York; San Francisco; and Scottsdale,
Arizona. JE