A deal has been struck that brings together two large newspaper publishing groups that are based in the Twin Cities and are familiar to hundreds of thousands of households.

Adams Publishing Group announced Wednesday that it intends to buy ECM Publishers Inc., founded by former Gov. Elmer L. Andersen, which is one of the largest publishers of weekly newspapers in the country. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

ECM, with corporate offices in Coon Rapids, has 50 publications reaching more than 650,000 households across central Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Among its holdings are several "Sun" weeklies that cover the Twin Cities suburbs.

They include the Sun Current (Edina, Bloomington, Richfield and Eden Prairie) the Sun Post (Brooklyn Park, Brooklyn Center, Robbinsdale, Crystal, New Hope and Golden Valley) and the Sun Thisweek (Apple Valley, Burnsville, Eagan, Farmington, Lakeville and Rosemount).

"ECM has done a fine job navigating through difficult times and producing the highest quality print and digital products," read a statement from Adams Chairman Stephen Adams, the son of the late Cedric Adams, a famed WCCO Radio broadcaster for many years until his death in 1961 who also wrote a Twin Cities newspaper column.

ECM President Marge Winkelman said the sale "is an exciting opportunity ... [that] will add incredible synergy to the marketplace for our readers, advertisers and associates. ... We have been very fortunate to have had the Andersen leadership the last 40 years, first with Elmer Andersen and the last 20 years with [son] Julian Andersen."

Adams Publishing is a family-owned media company that produces community newspapers, digital products and specialty magazines serving communities in Wyoming, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Maryland and Ohio. Adams' publishing operations include 63 community newspapers, 18 shoppers, 20 specialty publications and 81 associated websites.

In northern Minnesota, Adams owns the Mesabi Daily News, Hibbing Daily Tribune, Grand Rapids Herald-Review, Chisholm Tribune Press, Pilot Independent in Walker and Manney's Shoppers. It also owns several southern Minnesota publications, including the Faribault Daily News, Owatonna People's Press, Waseca County News, St. Peter Herald, Northfield News, Lonsdale Area News-Review, Le Sueur News-Herald, Kenyon Leader, Le Center Leader and several shoppers.

The Adams family also owns radio stations, outdoor advertising companies and Camping World/Good Sam, a national distributor of recreational vehicles and camping-related products and services.

ECM was founded in 1976 when Andersen purchased competing weekly newspapers in Princeton, Minn., and combined them into the Princeton Union Eagle. ECM subsequently added a commercial printing plant and acquired a delivery company as it purchased additional newspapers.

Andersen, who died in 2004 at age 95, was Republican governor from January 1961 to March 1963.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482