W.Va. chain buys Va. weekly that was in danger of closing

The leading newspaper owner in West Virginia has bought a Virginia weekly that issued a public plea for a buyer, saying it was otherwise likely to close.

Buchanan County borders West Virginia
and Kentucky. (Wikipedia map)

HD Media has purchased the Virginia Mountaineer of Grundy, the only newspaper in Buchanan County, population 20,000. HD publishes the daily Charleston Gazette-Mail, Huntington Herald-Dispatch and Williamson Daily News, and the weekly Coal Valley News, Lincoln Journal, Lincoln News-Sentinel, Logan Banner, Putnam Herald, Tri-State Weekly and the Wayne County News.

Sam Bartley, owner of the Mountaineer for 47 years, praised HD's plan to add a website for the paper, which is 100 years old this year: "HD Media is an experienced and reputable company in the newspaper industry." The company started in Huntington and bought the Gazette-Mail in 2018.

HD President Doug Skaff Jr. said in his company's news release, "The Virginia Mountaineer has a proud heritage that we are honored to continue. This is in keeping with our focus on keeping journalism alive in communities like Grundy as well as the other places we serve."

UPDATE, Oct. 17: HD Media has bought the weekly Webster Echo in Webster Springs, in Webster County, West Virginia, from Charlie and Kelli Cochran.