Effective Jan. 1, 2025 CherryRoad Media, which owns the Courier-Tribune and sister paper Gladstone Dispatch, will acquire eight new Missouri papers from Lakeway Publishers, Inc.
Among the new publications are the Pike County News, Centralia Fireside Guard, Elsberry Democrat, Hermann Advertiser Courier, Lincoln County Journal, Monroe City Lake Gazette, Troy Free Press and Vandalia Leader.
“We are excited to be the new stewards of these community news outlets,” Jeremy Gulban, CEO of CherryRoad Media, said. “There is rich history within these communities, this region, and these newspapers have been an integral part of that history, have chronicled that history. We look forward to continuing to serve the citizens of these communities and carrying on the legacy of their newspapers.”
A subsidiary of CherryRoad Technology, CherryRoad Media operates over 90 newspapers in 18 states. A family-owned business based in Parsippany, New Jersey, CherryRoad Media is focused on using technology to strengthen communities through their local newspapers.
“It has been our honor to be stewards of Lakeway’s Missouri newspapers”, said Lakeway Publishers, Inc. President R. Michael Fishman. “There is no more important role in journalism than that of a community newspaper, telling the stories and serving as the official record for the life of a community and the people who live within that community. It has been a privilege to play a key role in the historic legacy of these papers.”
All eight newspapers will continue to publish a weekly paper while also working to improve its reach to those audiences that get their news entirely online.
“We look forward to helping strengthen local journalism through our understanding of technology, which is our goal everywhere we go,” said Gulban. “These operations, like so many in our industry, have struggled under the weight of industry disruption and an evolving economy. We are confident these newspapers can be strengthened through technology and kept viable for the long run.”
As a technology company, CherryRoad has a lot of the skill sets and resources required, he said.
“So in the markets we go into, we’re looking to bring more digital solutions into the website for the paper,” said the CherryRoad Media CEO.
CherryRoad looks forward to serving these new readers and communities.
