Oregon firm buys Sarasota Magazine

Sarasota publisher Gulfshore Media LLC has sold five of its titles to a Portland, Ore.-based media firm.

The titles SagaCity Media acquired include Sarasota Magazine, Biz(941), SEE Sarasota, Sarasota Health and Venice Magazine, according to a statement. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

Gulfshore Media president Dan Denton says Group Publisher Kelley Lavin, Editorial Director Pam Daniel and Creative Director Gigi Ortwein will continue to lead the Sarasota team under SagaCity's direction. In 2004 Denton sold Sarasota Magazine to CurtCo, a California-based media firm. He bought it back with Gulfshore Media LLC in a larger deal in 2010.

“SagaCity enjoys a well-deserved reputation for creative excellence in print and for innovation in the digital sphere,” Denton says in the release. “I believe that our titles are in the best possible hands because SagaCity understands our business and values, can build on our legacy of quality and community service, and can rapidly take us to the next level in digital media.”

The deal is the largest purchase in SagaCity's 12-year history, the release adds.

"As an industry leader in the development of digital content, SagaCity is proud to have the chance to take Sarasota and its sister titles to the next level, expanding their already impressive reach and influence,” says SagaCity Media President Nicole Vogel in the release.