Rural communities left without news after abrupt shutdown

Over a dozen small town newspapers across five states were abruptly shuttered on Aug. 6 when their Illinois-based parent company, News Media Corporation (NMC), suddenly ceased operations. 

Eight Wyoming newspapers and a Nebraska-based publication were among those closed, resulting in layoffs of roughly 30 employees and leaving numerous rural communities without their long-standing hometown news outlets.

Statewide shockwave

Among those affected were beloved community institutions such as the Pinedale Roundup and Torrington Telegram, both of which have been in operation for over 120 years and the Lusk Herald, which is the longest-running publication in Wyoming, established four years before the territory’s statehood in 1886, as well as Evanston’s Uinta County Herald, Wheatland’s Platte County Record-Times, the Guernsey Gazette, the Bridger Valley Pioneer and the Kemmerer Gazette. 

According to several sources, staffers were blindsided, with some learning of their termination via phone call or by an e-mailed separation letter. 

In an Aug. 6 article by Greg Johnson, Pinedale Roundup Managing Editor Cali O’Hare tells Cowboy State Daily she received her layoff notice at 8:34 a.m. while at work on Aug. 6, along with instructions not to print the upcoming issue of the paper. 

Johnson further reports employees weren’t given any notice and were left without clarity on whether they will receive their final paychecks. 

An Aug. 7 WyoFile article by CJ Baker and Rebecca Huntington notes a memo sent out by NMC Chief Executive Officer J.J. Tompkins states the company had explored “every possible avenue” to continue operating but ultimately reached a point where it was no longer feasible. 

Tompkins specifically cites financial challenges, an economic downturn affecting the industry, revenue loss and increasing expenses, as well as a recent collapse in plans to sell NMC to Carpenter Media Group of Alabama, as reasons why the company went out of business. 

Growing news desert

The immediate closures still came as a shock to employees and readers alike, who, since the announcement, have expressed deep sadness and frustration. 

In a Platte County Record-Times Facebook post, Wyoming Group Publisher Rob Mortimer states, “The announcement has come as a shock to us. While current economic trends were being navigated, we were moving forward and adjusting our business model to today’s economy, and we did not expect the sudden closure.”

He continues, “I am devastated by the loss of such a crucial and valuable resource. Nine communities no longer have a newspaper. We wish we could have said a proper goodbye.”

The move has also brought about concerns these closures could turn entire counties – including Sublette, Uinta, Niobrara, Goshen and Lincoln – into news deserts, where meaningful local journalism will become scarce, if not entirely absent.

“This is devastating for me, devastating to our colleagues and especially devastating for my colleagues in other parts of the state,” O’Hare tells Cowboy State Daily. “There are a lot of communities that will essentially become news deserts.”

Additionally, in a statement made shortly after the announcement, Gov. Mark Gordon states, “The abrupt closure of the papers is devastating, both to the residents of these Wyoming communities and to the employees whose hard work ensured they were well informed on local issues. The loss of these publications, which covered local government, community events and schools and their sports teams, leaves a void that will not be easy to replace.”

Many agree the absence of newspapers will strip communities of vital civic functions that keep towns governed transparently. 

Despite this, O’Hare and others involved in the industry have expressed determination to keep community journalism alive through nonprofit or digital models, even as they grapple with the loss of income, benefits and institutional support. 

Meanwhile, statewide and national media associations are emphasizing the need for new strategies to prevent the further spread of news deserts, whether it be via legislation, community ownership or modern business models.

Hannah Bugas is the managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.