Pride Publishing Group, Tennessee’s premiere minority newspaper group, is in the process of rebranding and will operate under the new name, Multicultural Media, Inc. President/CEO Meekahl Davis stated: “Our commitment of providing quality news that is informational and relevant to the African American community will not change.”

Multicultural Media Group will not just focus on print media, but will branch into other forms and sources of media and advertising. The new company has formed strategic partnerships with other minority media organizations, as well as indoor and outdoor advertising companies.

“Our partnership with companies like Tagg and Advertising Outdoors will give us the opportunity to provide enhanced services to our community and clients,” said Davis.

Pride Publishing Group began in 1988 with just one newspaper, the Nashville Pride. In subsequent years, other papers were added to include the Knoxville Enlightener, the Chattanooga Courier, the Murfreesboro Vision, and the Clarksville Press. The newspaper group also has a Hispanic sister paper, El Crucero de Tennessee.

“When I was young, I asked my father, Dr. Larry Davis, why he and another dentist (Dr. Cynthia Hodge) started the newspaper,” said Davis. “My father then handed one of the popular ‘main stream’ publications to me. He then asked me to notice how Black people were portrayed. The newspaper was filled with stories about Black entertainers, Black athletes, and Black criminals.”

One of the goals of the newspaper group is to show young minorities that you can aspire to become something other than an entertainer, athlete or criminal.

“That goal has inspired us to not just look at print, but also other media.”

Readers can look forward to changes in the layout and content of the newspapers. The newspaper staff, address, and phone numbers will not change. The extension of all e-mail addresses will change to <@multicultural-media.com>. E-mails to all former addresses will automatically forward to the new e-mail addresses.

“I want to thank the community for being such a huge part of our ongoing success, and let them know that we appreciate their support as we transition into a total media company. Our company will now not only focus on newsprint, but media as a whole.”