The Indiana Publisher

Page 4 March 2021 Staff Reports Hometown Media On Dec. 30, 2020, the Chesterton Tribune sadly published its last issue. The Canright family reluctantly made the decision to close the newspaper that had served the Chesterton community since 1884. They cited changing times and the COVID-19 pandemic as the reasoning for shuttering the newspaper. Hold the presses. Don L. Hurd, founder of several media compa- nies in Indiana, smelled oppor- tunity in Chesterton. "It really pains me to hear that a great town lost their com- munity newspaper" said Hurd. "The local newspaper is an important piece that keeps a community vibrant and growing. Yes, times change but your busi- ness strategy needs to change too." Hurd, who owns 19 newspa- pers in the Hoosier State added, "We don't have a secret sauce for our success within the pub- lishing business. We just do the basics well." Hurd, who has newspapers in Benton, White, Lake, Wabash, LaGrange, Huntington, Miami, Grant and Pulaski counties has no reservations in reviv- ing the Chesterton Tribune. "We've done it before and we'll relaunch Chesterton just like we have numerous times with other newspapers," he said. Hurd considers each of the newspapers "his babies" and has a hands-on approach when it comes to his publications. "I would not ask my employees to do anything that I wouldn't do myself. I still cover events, shoot photos and writes stories. Heck, I started out at 11 years old as a paperboy and I'm still a paperboy 50 years later," he proudly boasts. His publications reach more than 250,000 readers each week. Hurd is a Warsaw native whose newspaper career has spanned over 40 years. He was president of more than 30 newspapers in Indiana and Illinois. He's received more than 80 national and state advertis- ing, editorial, graphic design and photography awards from several industry organizations. He was a 16-year Hoosier State Press Association Board mem- ber, serving as president and vice president. Hurd also served on the Illinois Press Board of Directors and was president of the Indiana Advertising Executives Association. Hurd's staff members have more than 500 years of com- bined local community news- paper experience. Each team member is "totally focused on keeping local journalism alive and vibrant. I'm blessed to have such dedicated staff members who share the same vision of preserving local journalism," Hurd said. "We look forward to working with the residents of Chesterton and Porter County to provide them with an all-local com- munity newspaper. We want our readers to be proud of their hometown newspaper," he said. "We encourage all local resi- dents to let us know what they want to see in their local news- paper." Hurd Media Group to relaunch the Chesterton Tribune Looking for an employee? Post your open positions at www.hspa.com/jobs/post-a-job/ or email info to sgoldsby@hspa.com. Your job listing will appear online and in the Indiana Publisher's job listing. Hurd On Jan. 1, after six decades in the newspaper publishing business, Bill Connelly turned over LaGrange Publishing to Don L. Hurd, who is president and owner of 19 other newspapers in Indiana. "We are very happy and excited to have purchased LaGrange Publishing," said Hurd, founder and CEO of Hurd Media Group. "I'm very familiar with the LaGrange area because I lived in LaGrange when I was publisher of the Sturgis Journal. The area is so rich in his- tory and traditions. It's great to be back." The LaGrange Standard, LaGrange News and Middlebury Independent join Hurd's newspapers in Benton, White, Lake, Wabash, Huntington, Miami, Grant and Pulaski coun- ties. Hurd says he considers each of them "his babies." "Each publication is dedicated to providing solid local news to its readers each and every week," Hurd emphasized. "All of our news- papers are hyper-local. We will be featuring stories about the people and places of LaGrange County that our readers will love. Connelly, with six decades of experience in publishing and generations-deep ties to LaGrange County, leaves "big shoes to fill," according to Hurd. "It's our mission to provide our readers with information they can use in their daily lives and help them be better citizens," said Hurd. "We plan to be very engaged in the community. To me it's important that their local newspaper be a big part of the community." Northeastern Indiana native Amy Oberlin now serves as editor of the Standard, News and Independent. "I am very happy we were able to bring Amy Oberlin on board as our new editor of the newspapers," said Hurd. "Amy brings some excellent skills that will help improve the newspaper's news presence. Plus, Amy is very locally oriented." — Hometown Media After 60 years in newspaper business, Connelly sells LaGrange Publishing "We look forward to working with the resi- dents of Chesterton and Porter County to provide them with an all-local community newspaper — Don Hurd, president, Hometown Media Inc.

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