The Pioneer Press will soon team with a most unusual partner: The Onion.

The St. Paul-based newspaper's owner, Northwest Publications, announced Thursday that it will assume local advertising sales, production, and distribution for satirical weekly publication The Onion and its pop culture-focused sister publication, the A.V. Club. The Onion's editorial staff will continue to produce the content for the publication.

The partnership will begin with The Onion's November 18 issue.

The Twin Cities is one of eight markets nationwide in which The Onion publishes a print edition. Approximately 40,000 copies are circulated each week from 1,500 metro-area locations.

The Onion already has partnerships with newspapers in some of its other markets. Its first such arrangement was made with the Chicago Tribune Media Group.

The Pioneer Press sees the partnership as a win-win.

“With The Onion in its product portfolio, the Pioneer Press will expand its reach, especially among younger readers metro-wide, Pioneer Press Publisher Guy Gilmore said in a statement. “That means more advantages and more results for our advertisers.”

The Onion began in 1988 in Madison, Wisconsin. Nationally, it has 1.8 million print readers and 10 million online readers each week.

“Minneapolis-St. Paul is our target market in spades-young, intelligent, cool, tech-savvy, relentlessly social, perpetually thirsty people who count on The Onion and A.V. Club to provide a unique perspective on the news and pop culture that matters,” Steve Hannah, president and CEO of The Onion, said in a statement. “Plus, the St. Paul Pioneer Press has a storied history in the Twin Cities. It stands for journalistic excellence and integrity. Just like us, only slightly different.”

The Pioneer Press reaches 2.5 million users each month through its daily print publication, its Web site, magazines, social media, and mobile updates.