The east Oregonian Publishing Co. said it will buy the twice-weekly Hermiston (Ore.) Herald from Western Communications Inc., Editor & Publisher reported Wednesday.

The purchase is expected to close by May 1. Terms were not disclosed.

Salem, Ore.-based East Oregonian Publishing Co., (EOPC) is family owned, and publishes the East Oregonian as well as six other local papers in Oregon.

“We approached the folks at EOPC because they, like WesCom, are a family-owned media company with a rich tradition of quality and integrity ... We're confident the citizens of Umatilla County will benefit from this new ownership arrangement,” said Betsy McCool, chairwoman of Bend, Ore.-based Western Communications, in a statement, according to E&P.

The 3,100-paid circulation Hermiston Herald will publish its first issue under new ownership on May 2. EOPC will be changing the publishing days and delivery method of the Herald, E&P reported.

EOPC announced in a statement that each newspaper will be equipped with its own news staff covering Hermiston.

According to John S. Perry, EOPC's chief operating officer, “the change will provide more consistent delivery service for readers and advertisers,” E&P reported.