Herald-Dispatch acquires Wayne County Publications

HD Media Company, LLC, of Huntington, W.Va., publisher of The Herald-Dispatch, has purchased the assets of Wayne County Publications, Inc., located in Wayne, W.Va. The acquisition includes the 140-year-old Wayne County News, the Tri-State Weekend shopper and a commercial printing facility.

The paid-circulation Wayne County News publishes each Wednesday and Saturday and provides comprehensive community news and advertising for the Wayne County area. The Tri-State Weekly is mailed to approximately 150,000 homes in West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio, with community news and advertising inserts.

David Slavin, W.B. Grimes & Company, represented Wayne County Publishing, Inc. in the transaction.

"It has been an emotional decision to sell the company that has been owned by our family for many years," Tom George, owner of Wayne Publications, said. "We believe that The Herald-Dispatch will provide new ideas and resources that will help keep the Wayne County News and companion Tri-State Weekend a viable community service moving forward. The commitment to give our readers local news and information remains unchanged."

"The Wayne County News has provided wonderful coverage of its community for many years, and we look forward to becoming part of that tradition," said Ed Dawson, editor and publisher of The Herald-Dispatch. "We hope we can continue to enhance both newspapers and help serve the community for many years to come."

The expansion by family-owned HD Media Company follows closely their acquisition of The Herald-Dispatch, the daily newspaper in Huntington, W.Va. In 2013, Champion Industries sold The Herald-Dispatch to Douglas Reynolds, West Virginia 17th legislative district House of Delegates representative. The Herald-Dispatch, founded in 1909, also publishes the Putnam Herald and the Lawrence Herald, more localized editions of The Herald-Dispatch serving Putnam County, West Virginia and Lawrence County, Ohio.