Sioux Falls, SD (AP) – Darth Recently closed newspapers Wyoming and the entire state of South Dakota will be re-released after buyers step up within days to prevent buyers from becoming a “news desert” with little or no local media left.
Swift’s Rescue stands out in the industry with around two and a half newspapers disappear According to 2024, every week Report From the Medil School of Journalism. One revived paper editor said his new owners are seeing continued profitability, while other outlets are grabbed by publishers motivated by a sense of citizen obligation.
“They’re helping me to be a part of the South Dakota rescued paper,” said Kayla Jesen, general manager of Redfield Press, Redfield Press. “We’re all excited to be able to bring the news back to our community again.”
The turnaround happened very quickly. Illinois-based News Media Corporation announced on August 6 that it will soon close 31 outlets in five states due to financial issues. Less than two weeks later, a Wyoming publishing group said it would buy eight papers in the state, while the North Carolina company said it would buy four newspapers in South Dakota. Both buyers say all staff will be offered a chance to return.
The fate of other papers in Arizona, Illinois and Nebraska remains unknown.
After the closure, journalists and their communities scrambled options to preserve publications. In addition to local news, many papers serve as official outlets for the town of legal notice.
Rural areas often lack local radio and television stations, said Benji Hamm, director of the University of Kentucky’s Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues. It can leave only newspapers as the only media outlet in the region.
“If that comes out, it will have a big impact not only on the media, but on the community itself,” Ham said.
The Wyoming publisher said they intervened because they couldn’t imagine them getting darker in their state.
“We believe in the importance of community newspapers,” said Jen Hicks, co-publisher of Buffalo Britain. “We know that in a community without newspapers, there will be fewer civic engagement and, specifically, less voter participation. This is a really specific way to see a decline in civic life.”
Jen and her husband, Rob Hicks, said they have partnered with Rob Mortymore, president of Wyoming Papers Inc., to sign a purchase agreement with News Media Corporation for eight publications in the state. Hicks refused to share how much he would pay for the newspaper.
In South Dakota, Benjamin Chase, editor of the rescued Huron Plainsman, said nearly 12 offers have come to buy one, two or all four of the closed newspapers. Champion Media, a North Carolina-based company, ultimately signed a contract.
“This was a really ideal situation as Champion does a lot of work in the community and local papers,” the editor said, adding that all staff were invited.
Champion Media did not reply to requests for comment.
Chase praises the buyers’ interest in the fact that South Dakota papers have important readers and have a significant audience of 10,000 total. Brookings Register covers a town of nearly 25,000 people, home to the state’s largest university, which lost its radio station last year.
“This is a group of papers you’ll have an audience right away, and they’re all beneficial and working to keep costs down,” Chase said. The Huron Plainsman and Brookings Register, which were previously daily, is only printed two days a week.
Professor Ham said he rarely finds such a rapid commitment to bringing back newspapers. “It happens, but there are actually a few places where people move forward,” he said.
Chris Klein, chairman of the Arizona News Media Association, said the Arizona paper is currently exploring local and out-of-state ownership options.
