Donrey Media Group changes name

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) _ The Donrey Media Group, which publishes 21 newspapers in eight states, has changed its name to Stephens Media Group. <br><br>The change, announced by the company Monday, was effective

Monday, January 14th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) _ The Donrey Media Group, which publishes 21 newspapers in eight states, has changed its name to Stephens Media Group.

The change, announced by the company Monday, was effective immediately.

Sherman Frederick, president and chief executive officer of Stephens Media Group, said the new name reflects the Stephens family's ``commitment to excellence'' in the newspaper industry.

The Little Rock-based Stephens Group and its chairman, Jack Stephens, purchased Donrey Media Group almost nine years ago. The Stephens family also runs Stephens Inc., an investment banking firm.

Donald W. Reynolds founded Donrey Media Group in 1940 with the purchase of the Okmulgee, Okla., Daily Times and the Southwest Times Record in Fort Smith.

In 1954, Reynolds established the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, a philanthropic foundation based in Las Vegas. Stephens bought the Donrey Media Group in 1993 after Reynolds' death that same year.

Stephens has newspapers in Arkansas, Hawaii, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Washington. The company also owns the Web site portal lasvegas.com and co-owns hawaii.com in partnership with the Gannett company.

In Arkansas, Stephens Media Group owns three dailies and nine weeklies and operates a news bureau in Little Rock.