Forum Communications Company is an American multimedia and technology company headquartered in Fargo, North Dakota. Forum owns multiple print, online, and broadcast brands throughout Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin, in addition to various niche media brands covering specialty interests.
Forum has multiple newspaper and multimedia journalism brands across four states in the upper Midwest along with several commercial printing facilities, TV broadcasting and business services.
Daily operations are overseen by William "Bill" Marcil, Jr. as the president and chief executive officer of Forum Communications Company as well as the publisher of The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. In 1972, the company purchased KSOO-TV of Sioux Falls and KCOO-TV of Aberdeen. At that time a subsidiary called Forum Communications, Inc. was created to manage its radio and television stations; the FCC approved the sale a year later. In 1984, William "Bill" Marcil, Sr. acquired majority ownership. In 1992, he renamed the parent company to Forum Communications Co.
In July 1995, Forum purchased three daily papers from Thomson Newspapers. The sale included The Dickinson Press, Mitchell Daily Republic and Worthington Daily Globe. In December 2010, Marcil, Sr. retired and was succeeded as publisher and CEO by his son, Bill Marcil, Jr.
In January 2021, Forum sold subsidiary RiverTown Multimedia to O’Rourke Media Group. The sale included the Red Wing Republican Eagle and Hudson Star-Observer. RiverTown previously published six other papers, but closed or merged them.
In November 2022, Forum purchased YTA TV affiliate KWSD and sister station KCWS-LD from Jim Simpson, for $1.4 million; the sale was completed on February 21, 2023. Forum intended to create a third television news operation in the Sioux Falls market. On February 24, 2023, KWSD changed its call sign to KSFL-TV; several weeks later, it switched its affiliation to Ion Television and upgraded to high-definition operations for the first time since its 2012 departure from The CW. On January 1, 2024, KSFL-TV dropped Ion and became an independent station.
On August 14, 2024, it was announced that NBC/MyNetworkTV affiliates KNBN and KWBH-LD, both of Rapid City, South Dakota, would be sold by Jim Simpson (Rapid Broadcasting Company) to Forum, bringing those stations and KSFL-TV back under common ownership.
On January 14, 2026, the company announced it had acquired seven newspapers from Wick Communications. The deal included The Daily Journal in Minnesota; Wahpeton Daily News, Hankinson News Monitor and Williston Herald in North Dakota; Capital Journal and Madison Daily Leader in South Dakota; and Sidney Herald in Montana. That April, the McKenzie County Farmer was acquired.
Commercial
- Click Content Studios offers marketing services through branded content for traditional and new media platforms.
- Forum Communications operates four printing plants in three states: Brainerd and Detroit Lakes, Minnesota; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and a commercial plant at 4601 16th Ave. N. in Fargo, North Dakota. Commercial printing capabilities include: printing, mailing, fulfillment and various marketing services.
- JobsHQ is an online recruitment and digital advertising company focusing on employers and recruitment in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Print and digital news
The following print and digital newspapers in Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota, and North Dakota are part of the Forum Communications news network:
{| class="wikitable"
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!Title
!Location
!Year Acquired
!Notes
!Sources
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|Alexandria Echo Press
|Alexandria, Minnesota
|1990
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|The Bemidji Pioneer
|Bemidji, Minnesota
|1997
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|Brainerd Dispatch
|Brainerd, Minnesota
|2010
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|Capital Journal
|Pierre, South Dakota
|2026
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|The Daily Journal
|Fergus Falls, Minnesota
|2026
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|The Dickinson Press
|Dickinson, North Dakota
|1995
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|Duluth News Tribune
|Duluth, Minnesota
|2006
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|The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead
|Fargo, North Dakota
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|The Globe
|Worthington, Minnesota
|1995
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|Grand Forks Herald
|Grand Forks, North Dakota
|2006
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|Hankinson News Monitor
|Hankinson, North Dakota
|2026
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|Madison Daily Leader
|Madison, South Dakota
|2026
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|Park Rapids Enterprise
|Park Rapids, Minnesota
|1985
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|Perham Focus
|Perham, Minnesota
|2000
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|Pine Journal
|Cloquet, Minnesota
|2006
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|Pine and Lakes Echo Journal
|Pequot Lakes, Minnesota
|2014
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|Post-Bulletin
|Rochester, Minnesota
|2019
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|Sidney Herald
|Sidney, Montana
|2026
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|St. Cloud Live
|St. Cloud, Minnesota
|2022
|Founded by Forum, with former reporters from the St. Cloud Times being hired as a part of the website launch
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|Superior Telegram
|Superior, Wisconsin
|2006
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|Wadena Pioneer Journal
|Wadena, Minnesota
|1990
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|Wahpeton Daily News
|Wahpeton, North Dakota
|2026
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|Williston Herald
|Williston, North Dakota
|2026
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