Nashville-based SouthComm, Inc. announced the purchase of Cincinnati CityBeat today.

CityBeat publisher Dan Bockrath will remain in his position, the company said in a press release:

The award-winning CityBeat launched in November of 1994 and becomes the sixth alt weekly under the SouthComm umbrella, making the company the second-largest owner of alt weeklies in the country. The company also owns the Nashville Scene, LEO in Louisville, the Kansas City Pitch and Creative Loafing papers in Charlotte and Tampa. CEO Chris Ferrell said SouthComm’s latest expansion fits its model of operating niche publications in mid-sized cities throughout the Southeast and Midwest.

With this latest transaction, SouthComm has now purchased four alternative publications within the past year.

Updated 6:15 pm: “The change is a good thing for a number of reasons,” writes CityBeat managing editor Danny Cross. “Many of us at CityBeat are already fans of the nearest SouthComm paper — LEO Weekly in Louisville. It is obvious that SouthComm values the creative presentation of local arts, music and culture and the thoughtful news coverage readers have come to expect from CityBeat.”