Paxton buys six Gannett newspapers in North Carolina

Paxton Media Group, which recently became the fifth largest U.S. newspaper publisher by number of papers, has bought six North Carolina papers from the largest but gradually shrinking publisher, Gannett Co.

Starting Dec. 1, Paxton will own the Times-News of Burlington, The Courier-Tribune of Asheboro, The Dispatch of Lexington, the New Bern Sun Journal, the Jacksonville Daily News and the Kinston Free Press.

The Sun Journal recounts the recent history of the three easternmost papers, which reflects the high rate of ownership churn in the industry:  "Previously under Freedom Communications, the newspapers were sold to Halifax Media in June 2012. GateHouse Media Group purchased the papers in January 2015 and in 2019, it was announced that New Media Investment Group, the parent company of GateHouse Media had reached an agreement to merge Gannett into GateHouse. The three newspapers have operated under the Gannett/USA Today Network since that time."

CEO Jamie Paxton

Paxton, based in Paducah, Ky., "is operated by fourth- and fifth-generation Paxton family members," the Sun Journal notes. "The group owns more than 100 newspapers throughout the Southeast and Midwest. In the past few years, Paxton has acquired properties in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Indiana," some from Gannett.

It already has several North Carolina papers, including The Daily Dispatch of Henderson, The Sanford Herald, The Enquirer-Journal of Monroe, the News-Topic of Lenoir, The Daily Courier of Forest City, The Daily Herald of Roanoke Rapids, The High Point Enterprise, and several weeklies.

"In a meeting with staff members on Friday, Gannett leadership stressed that Paxton will be a good home for these North Carolina newspapers, especially since Paxton understands markets of eastern North Carolina's size," the Sun Journal reports. "Paxton leadership assured staff members that they believe strongly in newspapers and local journalism."

Jamie Paxton, president and CEO of the company, said “PMG believes strongly in the value of local newspapers and the vital role they play in the communities that they serve. We appreciate being chosen to be the new stewards of these important community assets and intend to work hard to maintain the trust that these publications have earned over their long and storied history.”