Two longtime Central Massachusetts publications are changing hands as a new Worcester-connected company backed by Rucker Investments moves into the region’s evolving local media landscape.
Merit House Media, a newly formed company affiliated with Rucker Investments, announced Monday that it has acquired the publications, digital platforms, events and related media assets formerly owned by Pagio Inc., including Pulse Magazine and CM Pride Magazine.
The deal places two of Worcester’s best-known arts and lifestyle publications under the umbrella of a growing investment group that already owns or operates several prominent Worcester entertainment and hospitality properties, including the Worcester Railers, The Palladium, Off The Rails and the Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center.
Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The acquisition was completed Friday.
Merit House Media said the strategy and plan is to focus on regional storytelling, arts and entertainment coverage, community engagement and events while continuing publication of both magazines under their existing names.
Company president Kate McEvoy told the Worcester Guardian that the current Pulse and CM Pride staff will remain in place during the transition, including editor Jenny Pacillo, art director Kevin La and senior sales executive David Simone.
“The foundation of the Merit House Media organization is built on the very talented team that has been at the helm of the Worcester Pulse and CM Pride magazines for several years now,” McEvoy told the Worcester Guardian.
McEvoy said the publishing schedule won’t skip a beat, with the next issue of Pulse expected within the next two weeks and the next edition of CM Pride Magazine scheduled for July 1.
The publications also remain headquartered in Worcester, operating out of offices at 311 Main St.
The acquisition marks both an expansion into media for Rucker Investments and a major transition for Pagio Inc. founder Paul Giorgio, a longtime Worcester media figure who has operated Pulse and related publications for decades.
“When I started in publishing more than 35 years ago as an owner of Worcester Publishing Ltd, we believed the work we were doing was important to the local economy,” Giorgio said in the announcement. “The need for Central Massachusetts to have a local voice is more vital than ever.”
Pulse Magazine has long focused on Worcester-area dining, arts, music and culture coverage, while CM Pride Magazine has centered LGBTQ+ issues, events and community coverage across Central Massachusetts.
Rucker Investments said the acquisition expands its efforts to promote Worcester and the broader region through entertainment, hospitality and media ventures.
“Entering the media space in Central Massachusetts provides us with a new platform to showcase the region and the exciting things happening in and around Worcester,” Stephanie Ramey, vice president of special projects at Rucker Investments, said in the announcement.
McEvoy said her background in publishing and communications stretches back to her college years at Worcester State University, where she studied media and communications while also taking marketing courses and gaining hands-on experience in local publishing. She remarked that an adjunct professor at Worcester State once encouraged her to pursue marketing, advertising and publishing rather than traditional journalism — advice she said shaped the direction of her career.
“Well, I started in communications,” she said. “If you looked at my conduct marks in grade school, you would see that ‘communicating’ is something that has tracked with me for a long time. I actually worked for Paul Giorgio and David Simone while in college. I was 20, it was 1993, and I worked with them on the College Survival Guide products, both for Worcester and also for the Pioneer Valley region.”
After graduation, McEvoy said she briefly worked in marketing before eventually joining the Worcester Business Journal, an experience she described as “foundational.”
“The experience gained was foundational and has been woven through all the parts of my career journey: sales, marketing, communication, organizations, public relations, government relations, and so much more,” she told the Guardian.
She said Merit House Media plans to build beyond traditional publishing into events, consulting and creative services while exploring future growth opportunities.
“I think the most exciting part about this new venture as well as its alignment with such an entrepreneurial organization as Rucker Investments is the interest in building on success and finding new opportunities,” McEvoy told the Guardian.
The company said publication names will stick for now, though McEvoy said design updates and broader rebranding efforts may come later.
