A cluster of old-established New York newspapers are included in the Eagle News package being acquired from Community Media.

The buyer is Sample News Group, publisher of more than 75 titles in four states, including nine in New York state.

One of these, the Cazenovia Republican is the oldest continuously operating business in Madison County (pictured), dating to 1808, while the Baldwinsville Messenger has roots to 1847, and the Press-Observer – through the Skaneateles Press – to 1830.

Which makes the Eagle Bulletin in the eastern suburbs of Syracuse and dating to 1887, and the Star-Review, formed by the merger of the Syracuse Star-News and Liverpool-Salina Review – their predecessors dating to only 1893 – seem like relative youngsters.

The sale also includes Syracuse Woman Magazine, launched in 2011, and several digital properties including eaglenewsonline.com.

Sample News Group owner George ‘Scoop’ Sample says Eagle News has a strong presence in greater Syracuse, making it a natural fit for their Central New York operations.

Eagle News publisher David Tyler will continue as publisher of the group. “This sale represents the beginning of a new era for Eagle News' historic publications,” he said.

“Despite the headwinds our industry faces, joining a group like Sample Media will allow us to bolster the content our readers enjoy by taking advantage of the experience and scale of a larger, more established operation.”

Based in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, privately-held Sample News Group publishes 19 daily newspapers and more than 38 weeklies and specialty magazines. It has six production facilities, in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Vermont.

The modern history of Eagle News dates to 1992 when Brown Newspapers and Manlius Publishing merged to form Eagle Media, It later expanded beyond Syracuse, acquiring the Spotlight Newspapers in the Albany market. In 2009, three newspaper publishers, David Tyler in Syracuse, John McIntyre in Albany and Dan Alexander of Denton Publications in the Adirondacks joined forces under the name Community Media Group and purchased the assets of Eagle Media.