Turner Publishing Inc.
Thirty-Two Years of Good News
The Business
Turner Publishing prints good news on purpose: 17 community newspapers and three niche magazines across Maine, mailed to more than 250,000 homes and read by over 600,000 people. A proprietary database built by an MIT engineer lets a staff of nine run the entire operation, and the loyalty runs deep: six of the original eight advertisers from 1992 are still on board.
Jodi Cornelio co-founded the company at a kids' basketball game in 1992, born out of frustration with what local news had become, and became sole owner in 2010. Readers keep binders of her long-running health column; one advertiser teared up when she hand-delivered a framed photo for his 100th birthday. With no successor in the family, she sold to solve succession, staying on to sell ads and keep writing.
Transaction Timeline
How the Deal Happened
Jodi connected with Alex Clark on Rejigg in October 2025. The two worked directly, owner to buyer, moving from conversations to a purchase agreement in March 2026 and a close in May 2026, with Jodi staying involved on the other side of the handoff.
Deal Highlights
Born at a Basketball Game
Founded in 1992 out of frustration with the state of local news.
Advertiser Loyalty
Six of the original eight advertisers are still on board 32 years later.
Lean by Design
A staff of nine reaches over 600,000 readers.
Mission Match
The buyer came for the good-news model, not just the numbers.
The Buyer
Alex Clark is a Special Forces veteran working through an executive MBA at Duke, acquiring businesses with the same directness he brought to the deal: no broker in the middle, a genuine draw to the good-news mission, and a plan that kept the founder writing and selling for the company she built.
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