Rural newspapers come under new ownership

Nearly two months after closing on the acquisition of the Lawrence County Record in Mount Vernon, Ryan Squibb on Feb. 16 purchased the Cross Country Times of Willard and the Ash Grove Commonwealth.

The former editor of the Republic Monitor, Squibb took over operations of the Lawrence County Record Dec. 31, weeks after purchasing the newspaper from Steve and Kathy Fairchild, who had owned the paper since 1984. Steve Fairchild has stayed on as a reporter.

The Fairchilds ran the Lawrence County Record for 30 years, and Squibb said his background working on his family’s farm near Bois D’Arc would benefit the Lawrence County Record's 3,850 rural subscribers. He said there would be no changes in the weekly paper’s eight full-time and 18 part-time employees.

The Cross Country Times and the Ash Grove Commonwealth were purchased from Laura Scott, who had owned the publications for seven years and has remained on staff as a graphic designer for both papers. Squibb noted each product has about 1,200 subscribers.

The Lawrence County Record, the Cross Country Times and the Ash Grove Commonwealth are operated by Squibb Media LLC, which was established Dec. 10.

“I grew up reading the Ash Grove Commonwealth, and I’m happy to take it over,” Squibb said.

Squibb, a 2002 University of Missouri School of Journalism graduate who began working at the Republic Monitor in 2010, declined to disclose purchase prices.

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