<PAGE>



                                                      EXHIBIT 21.1

                LIST OF SUBSIDIARIES OF JOURNAL REGISTER COMPANY

The following is a list of the  corporations  that are  subsidiaries  of Journal
Register Company, a Delaware corporation. If indented, the corporation listed is
a wholly-owned subsidiary of the corporation under which it is listed.

                                                                  STATE OF
NAME OF CORPORATION                                             INCORPORATION

Journal News, Inc.                                                Delaware

    Journal Register East, Inc. 1                                 Delaware

         Northeast Publishing Company, Inc. 2                     Delaware

            Central Acquisition, LLC                              Delaware

                Mark I Communications                             Delaware

                  The Goodson Holding Company 3                   Delaware

         OMMA Acquisition, LLC 5                                  Delaware

         New Haven Register, LLC                                  Delaware

         Suburban Newspapers of Greater St. Louis, LLC            Delaware

          The Saratogian, LLC 6                                   Delaware

----------------------------
     1
       Doing business as The Herald,  The Herald Press,  The Bristol Press,  The
Register Citizen,  Shore Line Times,  Pictorial  Gazette,The  Dolphin,  Branford
Review,  Clinton Recorder,  Regional  Standard,  Regional  Express,  Pennysaver,
Shoreliner  Shopper East,  Shoreliner  Shopper West,  Milford Reporter,  Milford
Sunday, Hamden Chronicle, The Stratford Bard, The Post, The Orange Bulletin, The
Advertiser,  West Haven News, West Hartford News,  Weathersfield Post, Newington
Town Crier,  Windsor Journal,  Valley News,  Bloomfield  Journal,  Windsor Locks
Journal,  East Hartford Gazette,  Thomaston Express,  Connecticut's County Kids,
Tradewinds,  Rhode Island Homes,  Hartford Homes,  Springfield Homes,  Foothills
Trader,  Daily Local News, The Phoenix, The Suburban & Wayne Times, The Suburban
Advertiser, The King of Prussia Courier, The Village News, The Times Record, The
Record, The Narragansett Times, The Standard Times, The East Greenwich Pendulum,
The Chariho Times, The Coventry Courier,  The Westerly  Shopper,  The Telegraph,
Press Plus, Herald Extra,  Township Voice,  Suburban Extra,  Riverbend  Express,
Wallingford Voice, The Homefinder,  Homes Magazine, West Chester Voice, Register
Citizen  Express,  Rhode  Island  Family,  The  Week  in  South  County  and The
Farmington Valley Post.

<PAGE>

      2
       Doing  business  as The  News-Herald,  The  Morning  Journal,  The  Times
Reporter,  The Herald News, The Call,  The Times,  Closer Look,  Chatter,  Cover
Story (The  Herald  News),  Neighbors,  County  Kids,  Taste and The Times Cover
Story.

      3
       Doing business as The Mercury,  Penny Pincher  Shoppers,  Delaware County
Daily & Sunday Times, Times Extra, US Express and Marketplace.

     4
       Doing business as the Daily Freeman,  the  Independent,  The Oneida Daily
Dispatch,  The Oneida  Pennysaver,  The  Chittenango  Pennysaver,  Quality Time,
Central   Delaware   County   Edition,    Western   Delaware   County   Edition,
Aston/Brookhaven/Chichester  Edition,  Chester County Edition,  Main Line Times,
News of Delaware County, Germantown Courier, Mt. Airy Times Express.

    5
       Doing  business  as the New Haven  Register,  Valley  Express,  Shoreline
Express and Hamden Express.

    6
       Doing business as The Saratogan, the Saratoga Extra and Community News.