Mountain Media, a Lewisburg based community newspaper company, has purchased the assets of Montgomery Publishing, which includes six community newspapers in Southwest Virginia. Mountain Media, based in Lewisburg, publishes community weekly newspapers, their affiliated publications and multimedia products in the two Virginias. Owner Michael Showell is a strong believer in community newspapers and their role in strengthening the communities they serve. He started his newspaper career as a kid delivering newspapers for several different publications. He rose up through the ranks of circulation department’s at large dailies in California and Texas until he returned to his hometown in Lewisburg, and purchased his first community weekly in 1993. “Community newspapers are an evolving part of the diverse media landscape. They offer objective local news coverage that is a really critical service unparalleled by any other medium,” Showell said. “I am proud and humble to be involved in that service.” Montgomery Publishing includes the Salem Times Register and The Vinton Messenger in Roanoke County, the News Messenger and Radford News Journal in Montgomery County, the New Castle Record in Craig County and Fincastle Herald in Botetourt County. The purchase of Montgomery Publishing is the second purchase outside of West Virginia for Mountain Media, which purchased The Enterprise in Stuart in late 2015. “We want to bring together the two Virginias as we work to broaden our reach and foster business relations between all Mountain Media companies,” Showell said. “The publications within the Montgomery Publishing franchise have proven vital contributors to their communities and we look forward to working with them, learning from them and becoming a part of their community.” Mountain Media publishes the Mountain Messenger in Greenbrier County, The Pocahontas Times in Pocahontas County, Clay County Free Press, The Shinnston News and Harrison County Journal and The Parsons Advocate in Tucker County, West Virginia and The Enterprise in Patrick County, Virginia. To find out more about Mountain Media, LLC please visit www.mountainmedianews.com.
