The Pitch has a new owner

This morning, Village Voice Media LLC completed the sale of The Pitch to Nashville, Tennessee-based SouthComm Inc.

The Pitch, which has won numerous regional and national awards in its 30-year history, becomes the third alt-weekly in SouthComm’s portfolio. The paper will continue to cover Kansas City news, politics, arts and culture (and sex!).

Managing Editor Scott Wilson (uh, that’s me) has been named acting editor, replacing Joe Tone. My first act: Tell the staff it’s not too early to have that first Friday drink. Here’s to The Pitch‘s future, which starts … now. 

SouthComm’s press release:

SouthComm Inc. announced Friday it has acquired the Kansas City Pitch from Village Voice Media. Terms of the transaction are not being divulged.

VVM has owned and operated The Pitch since 1999. The

alternative weekly, which was founded in 1980, is the third for

SouthComm.

“I’m pleased to welcome another alt-weekly to the SouthComm family,” CEO

Chris Ferrell said Friday. “Kansas City is a great place to expand our

model of engaging local journalism in niche publications.”

Ferrell was publisher of the Nashville Scene from 2005 to 2007. SouthComm bought the Scene from VVM in August 2009.

SouthComm Inc. was formed in late 2007 to operate regional niche publications. The Nashville-based company owns the Nashville Scene, The City Paper, NashvillePost.com, Nashville Post magazine, the Medical News chain of papers, NFocus, Her Nashville and LEO,

an alternative weekly in Louisville, Kentucky. The company also owns

Target Marketing and SouthComm Publishing, which are custom publishing

companies serving chambers of commerce and other associations.