The Ottaway organization was founded in November 1936 when James H. Ottaway Sr. purchased the Bulletin, a semi-weekly newspaper in Endicott, N.Y. Within a year he converted it into a daily and in 1944 began buying other publications, starting in the Northeast and eventually crossing the country.

In 1970, Ottaway merged with Dow Jones and now, as DJLMG, operates print and online community media franchises in seven states including daily, Sunday and weekly newspapers, Internet sites, magazines and other news and advertising niche publications.

Operating results and editorial quality are the specific responsibility of each publisher and team of department heads. At the corporate headquarters in Middletown, NY, executives and specialists in finance, sales and marketing provide assistance to all locations for print and online operations. A central staff for information services and the Internet provides technical support.

DJLMG has pursued journalistic excellence and service since the company was started. In 1973, then-president James H. Ottaway Jr. formalized the company's commitment in a statement of editorial philosophy which begins:

“The first purpose and priority of DJLMG is to maintain high standards of excellence in news content, editorial quality and public service. We pursue these professional standards of journalism with a strict policy of local editorial independence, tempered only by the requirements of news and editorial quality. Local autonomy is not a license to publish a poor newspaper, but the freedom and responsibility to publish a great one.”

As the company has expanded into the Internet, regional magazine publication and other media ventures, the philosophy has remained the same.