The mastheads at the Courier Publications weeklies in Maine’s mid-coast will undergo some dramatic changes next week, according to a reliable source. On Monday at noon, Village NetMedia will take over as owner of Courier, replacing three editors and numerous reporters.

At the Courier Gazette in Rockland, Steve Betts is out as editor, but will continue to work for Village as a reporter for the Camden Herald. Leanne Robicheau will replace Betts in the editor’s slot. Robicheau had been the news editor of Village’s Knox County Times, which will be folded into the Courier Gazette.

Camden Herald editor David Grima is being replaced by Lynda Clancy, who had been a reporter for the Knox County Times.
Also changing jobs, Daniel Dunkle, who’s leaving the editorship of the Republican Journal in Belfast to become a business reporter for Village. He’ll be based in Rockland. No word yet on who’ll take Dunkle’s place at the RJ helm.

While there will be some layoffs in the news staff at the Courier Gazette, most reporters and editors are keeping their jobs. Not so fortunate is the newsroom staff at the Republican Journal and Waldo Independent. The Journal employees are being replaced by Village staffers. The Independent is going out of business.

Courier publisher Diane Norton is also out.

No major changes are expected at Courier’s Bar Harbor Times and Capital Weekly in Augusta.

(Full disclosure: My weekly political column runs in the Courier Gazette, Capital Weekly and Bar Harbor Times. No word yet on whether that’ll continue to be true.)

Al Diamon can be e-mailed at aldiamon@herniahill.net.

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