The Ainsworth (Nebraska) Star-Journal has been saved by a last-minute purchase that the co-owner Rod Worrell calls a “Christmas miracle.” The paper is being taken over by a group that includes local radio station owner Graig Kinzie and Clint and Katie Painter, who own a car dealership in Ainsworth, the Nebraska Examiner reports. Also in the group are Kirk and Chelsea Peterson, Kinzie was preparing to assume ownership of the paper, but couldn’t find anyone to run it in the tight labor market. But the Painters came forward and said their daughter Erin is returning to town and is interested in doing the job.

Penguin Random House has named Madeline McIntosh, previously president of the Penguin Publishing Group, CEO of Penguin Random House US. The position is a newly created one. Additionally, Allison Dobson, formerly senior v-p of strategy and finance at Penguin Publishing Group, has been promoted to president of Penguin Publishing Group, succeeding McIntosh. Dohle, who will remain based in New York City, said the creation of McIntosh’s position speaks to “the size and importance of the U.S. business for Penguin Random House worldwide." He added: "Now is the right time for dedicated leadership in our U.S. market." Under the newly announced PRH structure, McIntosh, who will report to Dohle, will be responsible for all PRH US adult and children’s publishing groups (among them Crown, Knopf, Penguin, Penguin Young Readers, Random House, and RH Childrens). The publisher's operations, sales, author platforms, digital publishing development, and audio publishing departments will now report to McIntosh. Click Read More below for additional information.

Axel Springer is planning to add a third business to the two it already has — journalism and media marketing — while doubling its value within five years. “We have to build a high-margin, hyper-growth business beyond journalism and marketing media, a third pillar as a strategic hedge,” said Mathias Döpfner, CEO of the company, speaking during a strategy meeting attended by 100 executives in Berlin. That would entail increasing direct access to its journalism with no outside platforms in the middle. And, this third pillar would also be built on AI, a technology Döpfner has long championed. “Digital is the new print,” he said. “AI is the new digital.”