In 1978, KYTV's original local owners sold the station to Harte-Hanks Communications.
Connaughton filed suit against Harte-Hanks Communications, the publisher of the JournalNews, alleging that its article had defamed him.
The Middlesex News of Framingham, Mass., owned by Harte-Hanks Communications.
Harte-Hanks Communications bought the newspapers in 1972 and later combined them as the Independent-Mail.
In 1986, he acquired 35 dailies and non-dailies, many of them from Harte-Hanks Communications, a media conglomerate.
Mr. Harte said he and his sisters had no equity in Harte-Hanks Communications, a company co-founded by his grandfather.
Hall sold his media interests to Harte-Hanks Communications in 1972.
In 1952, it was purchased by J.T. Toney, who ran it until late 1976, when he sold it to Harte-Hanks Communications.
The station was acquired by Harte-Hanks Communications in 1976, and by Gannett in 1989.
On October 15, 1997, the paper itself, long owned by Harte-Hanks Communications, was taken over by the Scripps Howard group.