Missouri Press Association
Serving Missouri Newspapers Since 1867
Who owns the newspapers? Lancaster Management Inc. Our Missouri headquarters is located at our Hollister office.
In addition to publishing a newspaper, what other services do you/it provide? Our Hollister location is where we print our newspapers, as well as others from Missouri and Kansas with our web printing services. We also offer extensive digital marketing with our sales team. We provide a bi-monthly magazine newly branded Discover Life in the Ozarks, formerly Discover Home and Style.
Circulation of newspaper/ Number of issues per week/publication day(s): Branson Tri-Lakes News is a bi-weekly paper with a Wednesday edition of 6,300 circulation and a Saturday edition with 9,000 circulation; Stone County Republican is a weekly paper with a Thursday edition at 1,800 circulation; Barry County Advertiser is a weekly Wednesday paper with a circulation of 14,200; Branson This Week is a free Wednesday newspaper with 13,500 circulation.
Number of staff: Our editorial team is made up of myself, one full-time writer and three part-time writers. Our group has 25 employees, six of whom are part-time. This includes sales, graphics and composition, distribution, printing and office management.
Population of counties: As of 2023, counties we cover have population of: Taney County, 56,775; Stone County, 32,658; Barry County, 35,265.
Is the community growing, declining, or holding steady? Each county is seeing growth, some stronger and more noticeable than others. Taney County continues to grow economically and with population. There is an influx in the summertime due to our tourist location and attractions. Stone County is showing growth in employment and economic development, after struggling for a while. Barry has shown modest growth in population and employment.
Your greatest challenge: Time is always a challenge. Covering over 1,954 square miles in three counties, trying to touch base with as many communities and people can be time consuming, especially with a small editorial team.
Also on a personal note, trying to successfully have a work/life balance, can be difficult.
Newspaper’s biggest strength: Our dedication to the communities for which we serve is our biggest strength. We understand we are the stewards of history and work hard to bring commitment, integrity and a passion for the area to our coverage.
Newspaper’s biggest weakness or obstacle to overcome: We, as many papers, have been struggling with delivery of our papers. We struggle with the post office and ensuring newspapers are delivered to our subscribers on time.
Your family: I married my best friend, Pierce, in 2022. Together we have three children. My two children are grown: Ashley (32) and Dakota (30). My husband brought with him my bonus daughter Alexis (14), who we homeschool. I have four grandchildren as well: Ayden (15), Sydney (13), Emilia (11) and Maddy (10).
Your hobbies/interests: I am a nerdy girl, who loves comics, movies, books, cosplay and art. I love creating things. I have designed cosplays and fashion lines for charity fashion shows. I paint, sculpt and enjoy photography. All which, I wish I had more time for.
List something that is interesting or unusual about you: My husband and I got married on stage in cosplay at a comic book/gaming convention. We created a whole play for the wedding ceremony based on the movie “The Breakfast Club.”
What is your favorite journalism accomplishment? May sound silly, but the first time I saw my byline on the front page of the paper will always hold a special place in my heart. It made me feel like I was making a difference in the community where I was born and raised.
If you weren’t an editor or a publisher, what do you think you would be doing? I would probably be doing one of the things I did in the past. I would like to think I would be working as a creative director for fashion and artist photo shoots. I spent several years working with models, photographers and designers putting together shoots, which have been featured in several magazines around the world.
