Sumner Media sells Ash Grove, Willard papers

Kathy Ahrens made some news in Ash Grove and Willard in February when she purchased the Ash Grove Commonwealth and Willard Cross Country Times. Now she is covering the news in those communities as publisher, editor and reporter for the newspapers, which have their offices in Ash Grove.

Ahrens' K&W Media acquired the community papers Feb. 14 for approximately $100,000 from Sumner Media Group, according to Darrell Sumner, secretary of the family-owned company.

The next day, Ahrens released the papers' editor and office manager. Ahrens is taking a hands-on approach, she said, and will serve as publisher and editor. Ahrens will write all of the news stories as well.

"I want to make it more community oriented," Ahrens said. "I want to cover more local news separating both communities."

Ahrens chose to put her 15 years of newspaper experience to work, though. She owned the Dows Advocate in Iowa for three years before moving to the area from Clarion, Iowa. Ahrens and her husband, William, moved to Willard the same week they completed the purchase of the paper.

Sumner Media, operated by Darrell, Don, Derek and Darren Sumner, now has ownership of seven papers in Missouri, Oklahoma and Kansas. The company had owned six area newspapers, until it sold the Christian County Headliner News and Nixa News Enterprise to Community Publishers of Missouri Inc. in 2001. That sale allowed the Sumners to put money down on four papers in Oklahoma, Sumner added, including the Okmulgee Daily Times, where the company is now based. Sumner's remaining southwest Missouri newspapers are the Republic Monitor and Aurora Advertiser.

Sumner said the local sales are an effort to get out of the weekly newspaper business. "We're looking at buying small dailies," Darren Sumner said.

Sumner said the Ash Grove and Willard papers, with circulations of 1,600 and 2,300, respectively, were the company's smallest papers. He admitted Sumner Media didn't have enough time to give the papers proper attention.

Sumner Media will sell ads for the papers for one year and will continue to print the papers at its press in Aurora, Sumner added.

National Media Associates served as broker on the deal. The firm, based in Branson, is a media broker for the newspaper industry in seven states, according to owner Edward Anderson.

Ahrens' future plans include a Willard satellite news office.

Jennifer Brown, the former editor for both papers, has already found work as a reporter for Springfield Business Journal.