Forum Communications

Forum Communications is an American multimedia and technology company headquartered in Fargo, North Dakota. Its operating portfolio combines local newspapers, digital news products, broadcast television, specialty media, commercial printing, branded-content marketing, recruitment advertising, and related business services. The company’s principal geographic footprint covers Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin, with a concentration in the Upper Midwest. The company traces its history to the Fargo Forum. In November 1912, J.P. Dotson, then editor of the Crookston Times, bought the newspaper at public auction. The Forum Publishing Co. was incorporated in May 1913, and Dotson sold the business in April 1917 to Norman B. Black. Black’s family and descendants retained ownership, creating a multigenerational family-controlled media enterprise. The ownership tradition later continued through the Black-Marcil family, which has owned and operated the company for five generations. Forum expanded from its original newspaper base through acquisitions and diversification. It absorbed or acquired newspapers in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Wisconsin, including the West Central Tribune, Detroit Lakes Tribune, Park Rapids Enterprise, Wadena Pioneer Journal, Alexandria Echo Press, Dickinson Press, Mitchell Daily Republic, Worthington Daily Globe, Bemidji Pioneer, Jamestown Sun, Grand Forks Herald, Duluth News Tribune, Superior Telegram, Lake County News-Chronicle, Cloquet Pine Journal, Duluth Budgeteer News, and Rochester Post-Bulletin. These acquisitions broadened the company’s regional journalism network and added communities with different economic and demographic profiles. Broadcasting became another important business area. Forum acquired television assets in South Dakota in the 1970s and later operated stations in North Dakota and South Dakota. Its North Dakota television operations include ABC-affiliated stations, while its South Dakota portfolio has included NBC-affiliated and independent stations. The company has continued to adjust its broadcast holdings through sales and acquisitions, including the purchase of KWSD and KCWS-LD in the Sioux Falls market and the acquisition of KNBN and KWBH-LD in Rapid City. Forum also operates media brands serving specialist audiences. Agweek provides agricultural journalism in print, online, podcast, and television formats. Other niche products cover North Dakota State University athletics, outdoor recreation, health, family life, hockey, and regional true crime. Commercial activities include Click Content Studios, which provides branded-content and marketing services; JobsHQ, a recruitment and digital advertising business; and commercial printing plants offering printing, mailing, fulfillment, and marketing support. The company remains a privately owned regional media group rather than a publicly traded national chain. Its strategy combines community news franchises with digital publishing, broadcast distribution, specialty content, and services that use the company’s production, audience, and advertising capabilities. Forum has also divested selected assets, such as RiverTown Multimedia in 2021, while continuing to expand in selected newspaper and television markets. The company’s identity is therefore rooted in local ownership and journalism, but its operating model spans a broader set of media and commercial services.

Forum Communications began with the Fargo Forum, which J.P. Dotson purchased at auction in November 1912 for $52,500. The Forum Publishing Co. was incorporated in May 1913, with Dotson as president. In April 1917, he sold the business for more than $100,000 to Norman B. Black, a former general manager of the Grand Forks Herald. Black’s family maintained control of the company thereafter. Leadership passed through several generations of the Black family. Norman B. Black managed the enterprise until his death in 1931. His son Norman D. Black became publisher, while Norman’s widow, Jenny C. Black, served as company president until 1951. After Norman D. Black’s death in 1955, his son Noman D. Black Jr. took over. Following the younger Black’s death in 1969, his son-in-law William C. Marcil became the company’s leader. In 2010, William Marcil retired and was succeeded as president and CEO by his son, Bill Marcil Jr. The company’s first major expansion beyond Fargo came through newspaper consolidation. Forum acquired the Moorhead Daily News in 1954 and merged it into the Fargo Forum in 1957. In the 1970s it entered television by purchasing KSOO-TV in Sioux Falls and KCOO-TV in Aberdeen. Forum Communications, Inc. was established as a subsidiary to manage radio and television operations, and the Federal Communications Commission approved the broadcast transaction in 1973. During the late twentieth century, Forum added newspapers throughout the region. It acquired the West Central Tribune in 1979; the Detroit Lakes Tribune, Park Rapids Enterprise, and Becker County Record in 1985; the Wadena Pioneer Journal in 1989; and the Alexandria Echo Press in 1990. In 1984, William “Bill” Marcil Sr. acquired majority ownership. The parent company adopted the Forum Communications Co. name in 1992. Further acquisitions expanded the company’s reach across the Dakotas, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. In 1995, Forum bought the Dickinson Press, Mitchell Daily Republic, and Worthington Daily Globe from Thomson Newspapers. The Bemidji Pioneer followed in 1997, and the Jamestown Sun was acquired from Hollinger in 2000. In 2006, Forum acquired a group of publications from McClatchy, including the Grand Forks Herald, Duluth News Tribune, Superior Telegram, Lake County News-Chronicle, Cloquet Pine Journal, and Duluth Budgeteer News. The Rochester Post-Bulletin joined the group in 2019. Forum has also reshaped its broadcasting holdings. In 1985, it sold KSFY-TV, KABY-TV, and KPRY-TV in South Dakota to News-Press & Gazette Company for $10 million. Later broadcast activity included the acquisition of KWSD and KCWS-LD in the Sioux Falls area, completed in 2023, and KNBN and KWBH-LD in Rapid City in 2024. Alongside traditional newspapers and television, Forum developed digital and specialist media. Agweek serves agricultural audiences through print, online, podcast, and television formats. Bison Media Zone covers North Dakota State University athletics through livestreams, programs, podcasts, and online reporting. Dakota Spotlight focuses on regional unsolved cases, while NewsMD, Northland Outdoors, On The Minds Of Moms, and The Rink Live address health, outdoor recreation, family life, and collegiate hockey. The group’s commercial operations include four printing facilities in Minnesota and South Dakota, including a commercial plant in Fargo. Services encompass printing, mailing, fulfillment, and marketing support. Click Content Studios provides branded-content services, and JobsHQ combines recruitment listings with digital advertising. Forum sold RiverTown Multimedia to O’Rourke Media Group in 2021, demonstrating that its expansion has been accompanied by selective divestment. The company’s continuing model is a regionally focused, family-owned combination of journalism, broadcasting, specialty content, and media-related services.

1. 2024Rapid City television acquisition

   Forum acquired KNBN and KWBH-LD in Rapid City, South Dakota.

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2. 2023Sioux Falls television acquisition completed

   The acquisition of KWSD and KCWS-LD was completed on February 21, 2023.

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3. 2021RiverTown Multimedia divested

   Forum sold RiverTown Multimedia to O’Rourke Media Group.

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4. 2019Rochester Post-Bulletin acquired

   Forum acquired the Rochester Post-Bulletin, expanding its Minnesota newspaper network.

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5. 2010Leadership succession

   Bill Marcil Jr. succeeded William C. Marcil as president and CEO.

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6. 2006Major McClatchy newspaper acquisition

   Forum acquired a group of Upper Midwest newspapers from McClatchy, including the Grand Forks Herald and Duluth News Tribune.

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7. 1992Parent renamed Forum Communications Co.

   The parent company adopted the Forum Communications Co. name.

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8. 1972Television expansion

   Forum purchased KSOO-TV and KCOO-TV and created a subsidiary to manage its broadcast operations.

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9. 1954Moorhead Daily News acquired

   Forum acquired the Moorhead Daily News and merged it into The Forum in 1957.

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10. 1917Black family ownership begins

    Norman B. Black purchased the business, beginning the family ownership lineage that continues through the Black-Marcil family.

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11. 1913Forum Publishing Co. incorporated

    The Forum Publishing Co. was incorporated with Dotson as president.

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12. 1912Acquisition of The Fargo Forum

    J.P. Dotson purchased the Fargo Forum at public auction.

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A family-owned Upper Midwest multimedia company combining community journalism with broadcast television, specialty media, commercial printing, marketing, and recruitment services.

• Local and regional newspapersPrint and digital news1912

  Forum’s newspaper network provides community reporting, regional news, sports, opinion, advertising, and digital publishing across the Upper Midwest. The portfolio includes The Forum, Grand Forks Herald, Duluth News Tribune, Rochester Post-Bulletin, and numerous smaller-market publications in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Wisconsin.

• Television stationsBroadcast media1972

  Forum operates television stations in North Dakota and South Dakota. Its broadcast holdings include ABC-affiliated stations in North Dakota and additional network-affiliated or independent stations in South Dakota. The portfolio has changed through both sales and acquisitions.

• AgweekAgricultural media

  Agweek is an agricultural news brand based in Fargo. It publishes a weekly print magazine, daily online coverage, a weekly television program, and a podcast. Its coverage focuses on agriculture and rural economies in the Upper Midwest and incorporates the former Agri News operation.

• Bison Media ZoneSports media

  Bison Media Zone covers North Dakota State University football and other athletics through online news, livestreams, television programming, podcasts, and sports journalism. It is a specialist digital and video product aimed at the university’s regional sports audience.

• Click Content StudiosMarketing services

  Click Content Studios provides branded-content and marketing services for traditional and digital media platforms. It extends Forum’s publishing and audience capabilities into custom commercial storytelling and related promotional work.

• JobsHQRecruitment advertising

  JobsHQ is an online recruitment and digital advertising service serving employers and job seekers in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. It combines employment listings with recruitment-oriented audience and advertising services.

• 2024KNBN and KWBH-LD acquisitionM&A

  Forum continued expanding its South Dakota broadcast presence.

  What changed. Forum acquired KNBN and KWBH-LD in Rapid City from Rapid Broadcasting Company.

  Aftermath. The deal brought the Rapid City stations and KSFL-TV back under common ownership.

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• 2023KWSD and KCWS-LD acquisitionM&A

  Forum sought to expand its Sioux Falls-area television operations.

  What changed. It purchased KWSD and KCWS-LD from Jim Simpson; the transaction closed on February 21, 2023.

  Aftermath. Forum added two South Dakota broadcast properties to its television portfolio.

  purchase price. 1400000 USD (November 2022 announcement; February 21, 2023 completion)

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• 2021RiverTown Multimedia divestitureM&A

  Forum reassessed its portfolio of community publications in southeastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

  What changed. Forum sold RiverTown Multimedia to O’Rourke Media Group in January 2021.

  Aftermath. The transaction transferred the subsidiary, including the Red Wing Republican Eagle and Hudson Star-Observer, to a different regional media owner.

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• 1985Sale of South Dakota television stationsM&A

  Forum held KSFY-TV, KABY-TV, and KPRY-TV in South Dakota before selling them to News-Press & Gazette Company.

  What changed. The three stations were sold in November 1985.

  Aftermath. The transaction reduced Forum’s South Dakota broadcast holdings at that time.

  sale price. 10000000 USD (November 1985)

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• 2024Forum acquires Rapid City television stations

  Forum acquired KNBN and KWBH-LD in Rapid City, South Dakota, from Rapid Broadcasting Company.

  M&A
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• 2024Forum Communications acquires Rapid City television stations

  Forum acquired KNBN and KWBH-LD in Rapid City, South Dakota, from Rapid Broadcasting Company.

  M&A
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• 2023Forum purchases KWSD and KCWS-LD

  Forum completed its purchase of KWSD and KCWS-LD after the transaction was approved and closed in February 2023.

  M&A
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• 2023Forum Communications acquires KWSD and KCWS-LD

  The acquisition of the two South Dakota stations from Jim Simpson was completed on February 21, 2023, expanding Forum's television operations.

  M&A
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• 2021Forum Communications sells RiverTown Multimedia

  Forum sold the RiverTown Multimedia subsidiary, including the Red Wing Republican Eagle and Hudson Star-Observer, to O’Rourke Media Group.

  M&A
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• 2021Forum sells RiverTown Multimedia

  Forum sold its RiverTown Multimedia subsidiary, including publications such as the Red Wing Republican Eagle and Hudson Star-Observer, to O'Rourke Media Group.

  M&A
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1. Forum Communications Company