United Communications Corporation

Infobox_Company
company_name = United Communications Corp.
company_
company_type = Private
foundation = 1961
location = 5800 7th Ave., Kenosha, Wisconsin 53140 USA
key_people = Howard J. Brown, president
industry = Newspapers, television
products = "Kenosha News" and two other daily newspapers; three TV stations
homepage = |

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". [http://www.dirksvanessen.com/article.asp?newsId=96&categoryId=1 "Family Tradition Will Continue in Watertown, SD"] . Press release, Dirks, Van Essen and Murray. March 31, 2002. Accessed February 26, 2007.]

UCC then entered the television business through two sales mandated by FCC competition rules. The "Watertown Daily Times" of Watertown, New York, sold WWNY-TV for $8.2 million in 1981; [ [http://www.wwnytv.net/72k/new-full-story.asp?uid=6232&area=inside+wwny "50 Years of Service to the North Country"] , WWNY-TV Website. Accessed February 26, 2007.] 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-CA, a low-power television station in Watertown, New York, in 2001, and a year later buying the "Watertown Public Opinion" in eastern South Dakota.

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 affiliate, of Mankato, Minnesota, acquired 1977.
* WWNY-TV, a CBS affiliate, of Watertown, New York, acquired 1981.
* WNYF-CA, a FOX affiliate, of Watertown, New York, founded 2001.

References