Sun Journal

The Sun Journal has continued to be a leader in local news and, over the years, has received numerous awards for writing, investigative reporting, editorials, photography, graphic design and advertising as well as Maine and New England Newspaper of the Year awards. The Sun Journal was also named one of the "World's Best-Designed" newspapers and listed as one of the top ten in the United States by the Society of News Design in 2000. The Sun Journal is one of Lewiston-Auburn's largest employers and is committed to the economic and cultural improvement of the region it serves. Many of the company's employees play an active role in service to their communities. The company has focused on diversification efforts over the years. Several weekly newspapers, commercial printing and other print and web-based products were added to its portfolio to offer customers various options for receiving local news and information, as well as marketing their businesses. A new name - Sun Media Group - was announced in 2007 to serve as an umbrella to unify the Sun Journal with all of the individual companies owned by the Costellos, including Sun Press, The Bethel Citizen, The Forecaster publications, Rumford Falls Times, Advertiser Democrat, The Franklin Journal, Livermore Falls Advertiser, The Rangley Highlander, The Penobscot Times, American Journal, Lakes Region Weekly, Maine Women Magazine, 95 North and My Gen. On Aug. 1, 2017, Sun Media Group was sold to Reade Brower, a mid-coast media executive and entrepreneur who also owns MaineToday Media, which includes the Portland Press Herald, Waterville Sentinel and the Kennebec Journal. He is also the owner of Alliance Press, a commercial printing company in Brunswick, and publishes four weeklies in midcoast Maine: The Free Press in Rockland, The Courier-Gazette in Rockland, The Camden Herald and The Republican Journal in Belfast. In 2016, Brower and Chris Harris, former president of Upper Valley Press in New Hampshire, purchased The Rutland Herald and Barre-Montpelier Times Argus in Vermont. When the Sun Media Group sale was announced, Brower said "these are landmark Maine institution newspapers. We're really all excited about creating a family of newspapers in Maine that the community can rely on for news they can trust." Sun Journal Mission Statement: We publish our products to inform, challenge and reflect the communities we serve.