Missouri Press Association
Serving Missouri Newspapers Since 1867
Missouri Press News Notebook

November 2024 Notebook

Scrapbook and On the Move

Posted

Houston — The Houston Herald is one of 205 news outlets across the nation receiving a share of $20 million through funding from Press Forward. There were more than 900 applicants, including nonprofits launched in response to the pandemic and for-profits working to adapt operations.
“This is a huge honor,” Herald owner Isaiah Buse told readers. “This funding is wonderful news, but we need local support to sustain this work long term, and I’ve been fortunate to receive that support from so many individuals and groups in this area.”
The Herald will be able to use the funding to continue to grow and improve its product offering. The outlet offers two print products, a website, newsletters, a large social media presence, livestreamed events and mass text messaging, among other things.
Press Forward has announced a second open call for applicants will begin in mid-November. That round of funding will address “local news infrastructure.”

St. Louis — The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has announced plans to stop using its current presses to print the daily newspaper and outsource printing to Gannett’s facility in Columbia beginning early next year. It will mark the end of nearly 150 years of printing history for the newspaper in St. Louis.
Editor Alan Achkar said the decision was made in response to readers’ shift towards digital platforms. The newspaper will still publish a print edition seven days a week and delivery times are not expected to change.
Print editions being trucked from Columbia to St. Louis will mean earlier deadlines for news coverage, affecting late-breaking coverage, such as sports. Achkar specifically pointed out reporting of St. Louis Cardinals night games will not appear in the next day’s sports section.
Moving printing to Columbia will also mean the loss of 72 jobs, including 48 full-time employees, at the Post-Dispatch’s Maryland Heights printing center as the building will be shuttered.

Savannah — CherryRoad Media purchased The Savannah Reporter and took over ownership last month. It had previously been operated by father and son, Ken and Brent Rosenauer.
New-Jersey-based CherryRoad operates more than 80 newspapers in 18 states, with Missouri publications including the Courier-Tribune in Liberty, the Gladstone Dispatch and the Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune.
Publisher Jeremy Gulban told readers, “We are confident this newspaper can be strengthened through technology and made viable for the long run.”

Bolivar — Carpenter Media Group, which operates more than 250 newspapers throughout the United States and Canada, purchased 16 community newspapers belonging to Phillips Media Group, including 10 newspapers in Missouri and several others in Arkansas and Illinois, along with other publications. The sale took place in September.