Pictured are, from left, Michael Finnegan, owner and publisher of the Clear Lake Mirror-Reporter and Ryan Harvey, president and CEO of Mid-America Publishing.

After nearly 35 years of ownership, Mike Finnegan has sold the Clear Lake Mirror-Reporter to Mid-America Publishing Corporation, of Hampton, Iowa, effective March 1, 2018.

The Mirror-Reporter will be added to the Hampton-based corporations growing roster of 30 Iowa weekly newspapers and shoppers.

"I've worked for Mid-America for nearly 21 years, "said Ryan Harvey, President and CEO of Mid-America Publishing. "During that time, I rarely missed an issue of the Reporter. Mike has an impressive operation. He has always been a strategic thinker who has always looked out for his community. That's something we will continue to strive to do in conjunction with the Mirror's staff."

As part of the acquisition, aside from Finnegan, the entire staff has been asked to continue on with the paper.

Mid-America Publishing Corporation is a closely held family run company owned primarily by Jeanette M. Grohe, the granddaughter of the founder, Willard D. Archie, and her husband, Matt Grohe, who also serves as the company's Chairman.

In 1983, Mid-America sold the Mirror-Reporter to Finnegan and Prefin, Inc. "We are excited to re-assume the ownership of The Mirror-Reporter after all of these years," said Harvey. "We believe this fits naturally with our corporate footprint and our company as a whole."

Harvey will personally assume the leadership of the Mirror-Reporter.

The publication will join Mid-America's portfolio of weekly newspapers: The Buffalo Center Tribune; The Leader with offices in Garner and Britt; The Pioneer Enterprise in Rockwell; The Sheffield Press; the Hampton Chronicle; the Ida County Courier, in Ida Grove, the Holstein Advance; the Aurelia Star; the Calmar Courier; Postville Herald; The Outlook, in Monona; the Eldora Herald-Ledger and Hardin County Index, with an office in Eldora; the Grundy Register, in Grundy Center; the Parkersburg Eclipse-News-Review; the Wright County Monitor, in Clarion and Dows; the Eagle Grove Eagle; the Butler County Tribune-Journal (Allison); the Clarksville Star, the Ogden Reporter, and the Graphic-Advocate, with offices in Lake City and Rockwell City.

The company also owns and operates newspapers in southeast Iowa, namely, the News-Review, in Sigourney, the Keota Eagle, Keota, and the Sun with offices in New Sharon and Fremont. The company additionally produces a weekly political newspaper, the Conservative Chronicle as well as several TMC shoppers, such as the Hampton Chronicle's Bonus in Hampton, the Spectrum in Lake City-Rockwell City, the Leader's Shopper News Review in Garner, the Reminder in Ida Grove; and the Wright County Reminder in Clarion; plus a monthly shopper, the Dual County Leader, based in Eagle Grove serving Wright and Hamilton Counties. Additionally, the company publishes north central Iowa's only Latino-oriented newspaper, Viva Iowa! which serves Franklin and Wright Counties.

Mid-America also operates a custom printing division, that offers individualized printing and publishing solutions such as banners, posters, postcards, direct mailing, mailing list management, letterhead design, newsletter management, and dozens of other marketing and promotional products which it plans to make available locally in the Clear Lake area.

From the outset, the biggest changes for the Mirror-Reporter will be the transfer of the circulation and billing through its Hampton office. The printing of the newspaper will remain with the company's Hampton facility.