Committed to community revitalization and community news, Sullivan County native purchases Eagle
Times, Argus-Champion and Newport Times.
CLAREMONT -- Newly formed Sunshine Communications, a division of the Sunshine Initiative Public Benefit Corporation, owned and operated by Jay Lucas announced the acquisition of the Eagle Times from Sample News Group, effective immediately.
"I am very excited to return ownership of the Eagle Times back to New Hampshire," said Lucas. "As someone who grew up getting our news from the Eagle as well as remembering how excited it was when my photo from my football days or my name being listed in the paper from honor roll, it is important to keep the spirit of this publication local, relevant, and worthwhile for the communities it serves."
In addition to the acquisition of the Eagle Times, Sunshine Communications has also taken ownership of the Newport Argus-Champion and the Newport Times.
"Prior to this new venture, my wife Karen and I along with Archie Mountain, Roy Malool, Hunter Rieseberg and other leaders in the Newport area brought back the Newport Times in both online and in print formats," said Lucas. "Combining efforts and bringing it all together will create amazing content and opportunities for members of the community to share their passions with readers across western New Hampshire and beyond."
The Eagle Times is a full-time online publication and provides print editions three days per week. With a loyal and dedicated staff, Lucas has made it public that no current staff will be leaving, and the only changes will be additional team members to provide support and strengthen the offerings in advertising, distribution and content.
Lucas is a native of Sullivan County and founded the Sunshine Initiative in his hometown of Newport. Created as a community-based organization to revitalize the town, the all-volunteer organization launched in 2018 and has aided in projects including the Newport Times, the Ruger Mill, Economic Development, and setting a world record with Guinness. The Sunshine Initiative has grown to having projects in several New Hampshire communities including Rochester, Manchester, and Laconia.
Lucas is an entrepreneur and businessman based in Portsmouth and is the author of the Sunshine Report, a weekly email newsletter sent to nearly 30,000 subscribers. He envisions featuring the Sunshine Report in upcoming editions of the newspapers and encourages others to contribute interesting and especially upbeat, content. The Sunshine Report focuses on a message of 'Positive Energy, Positive Change!'
"Over the coming months we will be rolling out new services and offerings for local businesses to grow their marketing reach and we encourage all community groups and member of the community to share their stories with our communications company."