WV Press Release Sharing
CHARLESTON, ,W.Va. — HD Media has purchased the Virginia Mountaineer, a weekly newspaper in Grundy, Virginia, the company announced.
The Mountaineer has been the newspaper of record in Buchanan County, Virginia, for a century.
“I am extremely pleased to announce the agreement and sale of The Virginia Mountaineer newspaper to HD Media,” said Mountaineer Publisher Sam Bartley, sole owner of the publication before the deal. “The sale will only mean great things for the newspaper moving into the future. HD Media is an experienced and reputable company in the newspaper industry.”
The move expands HD Media’s footprint from its core in the southern half of West Virginia.
“We’re excited to add this outstanding weekly newspaper to our family of newspapers,” said Doug Skaff Jr., president of HD Media. “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.”
Bartley praised HD Media’s plan to add a website for the Mountaineer along with online subscription services and other digital platforms while continuing the print edition.
The Mountaineer launched in 1922 and emerged as a leading voice in the community. Bartley’s history with the newspaper covers nearly a half-century. He will be assisting with the transition as HD Media takes over the operation through the remainder of the year.
HD Media managing partner Doug Reynolds called Bartley “the Cal Ripken of community journalism,” referring to the retired Baltimore Orioles infielder famed for playing 2,632 consecutive games.
“Sam has done a fabulous job leading the Mountaineer and serving as a leader in Grundy,” Reynolds said. “We are grateful for the work he has done for 47 years, nearly half the time this great newspaper has been here, and we’re thrilled to have him by our side and in our corner as we go forward.”
HD Media publishes the Charleston Gazette-Mail and Herald-Dispatch, the dailies in West Virginia’s two largest towns, as well as the weekly Coal Valley News, Lincoln Journal, Lincoln News-Sentinel, Logan Banner, Putnam Herald, Tri-State Weekly, Wayne County News and Williamson Daily News.
