The owner of the Columbus (KS) News-Report, Larry Hiatt, announced that he and a group of local Southeast Kansas families are acquiring the Pittsburg (KS) Morning News. Gannett, the largest newspaper publisher in the United States, are the sellers. Furthermore, the deal is set to close September 1, 2021.
Dirks, Van Essen & April represented Gannett in the transaction and shared the news. According to the firm, Pittsburg attorney Kevin Mitchelson revealed that a new company was formed by local families. Furthermore, their goal was to keep the newspaper locally owned. Hiatt will serve as publisher.
Bernie Szachara, who leads Gannett’s U.S. publishing operations, recently told Poynter:
“Our mission is to empower communities, and our decisions are driven by our commitment to best serve them. Having been approached by prospective buyers, we’ve carefully considered what was best for both our company and the community, and we’re pleased that in several situations, a local owner will continue to lead these brands into the future.”
Bernie Szachara, Gannett
“We are working with the folks at Gannett to make this a smooth transition back to local ownership. We thank them for their assistance and willingness to return this newspaper to local ownership. We hope to retain The Morning Sun’s current staff and add more local news and sports reporters, as well as a local advertising sales staff.”
Larry Hiatt, the owner of the Columbus (KS) News-Report
The Morning Sun dates back to 1887 and has been owned by Stauffer Communications, Morris Communications, Gatehouse Media and Gannett during the past 50 years.
