Dublin Courier Herald Publishing Co. buys four papers, expands into west GA

The Dublin Courier Herald Publishing Co. recently purchased four more community newspapers – The Manchester Star-Mercury, Meriwether Vindicator, Harris County Journal and Talbotton New Era – that will expand the company’s reach into west Georgia.

The Courier Herald Publishing Co. last summer bought four newspapers, including the Houston Home Journal in Perry. All eight of the papers had been part of the Trib Publishing newspaper chain and were offered for sale after the death of owner Bob Tribble.

“This is a great fit for our company. We know how important a local newspaper is as a partner for growth in a community,” publishing company President Griffin Lovett said. 

“We are looking forward to taking over the publishing of these newspapers,” added publishing company Chairman DuBose Porter. “We appreciate the Tribble family entrusting us with these publications as we record the history of each of these wonderful communities.”

The four newly-acquired newspapers have long served the Tri-County area of Harris, Meriwether and Talbot.

“This is where my newspaper career began,” said Mitchell Tribble, president of Trib Publications Inc. “I served as editor of both the Manchester Star-Mercury and Meriwether Vindicator and had the opportunity to also work in Harris County.

“I truly believe the time is right to make the decision to make this move. I believe the new ownership will be able to make improvements we were not able to make. It has been our pleasure to serve the local community for so many years. We want to thank everyone for the support given to us over the years.”

Dublin Courier Herald Publishing Co. General Manager Pam Burney said, “We understand the importance of newspapers in communities like these. We will provide an active marketplace for business and industry to grow and prosper.”

Publisher Johnny Kuykendall said he and the newspapers’ staff “are excited about the opportunity to continue serving our respective communities.”

“It will take some time, but we believe under the new ownership the newspapers will continue to survive, serve as the record of history and help the community grow and improve. The support of our community is essential to providing the best newspapers we can and to help our communities continue to move forward,” he said.

The Dublin Courier Herald Publishing Co. owns and operates community newspapers through middle and west Georgia to include: • The Courier Herald, Dublin, Laurens County

• The Sparta Ishmaelite, Sparta, Hancock County

• The Sandersville Progress Georgia, Sandersville, Washington County

• The Johnson Journal, Wrightsville, Johnson County

• The Soperton News, Soperton, Treulen County

• The Montgomery Monitor, Mt. Vernon, Montgomery County

• The Wheeler County Eagle, Alamo, Wheeler County

• The Wilkinson County Post, Irwinton, Wilkinson County

• The Twiggs Times New Era, Jeffersonville, Twiggs County

• The Cochran News, Cochran, Bleckley County

• The Houston Home Journal, Perry, Houston County

• The Leader Tribune, Ft. Valley, Peach County

• The News Observer, Vienna, Dooly County

• The Citizen Georgian, Montezuma, Macon County

•The Manchester Star-Mercury, Manchester, Meriwether County

•The Meriwether Vindicator, Greenville, Meriwether County

•The Harris County Journal, Hamilton, Harris County

•The Talbotton New Era, Talbotton, Talbot County.

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