What Happened?
- News Media Corporation (NMC), a parent company owning many small-town Wyoming papers, suddenly ceased operations, shuttering at least eight legacy newspapers in rural Wyoming communities without warning, including the 121-year-old Pinedale Roundup.
- Along with the Pinedale Roundup, Platte County Record-Times and Guernsey Gazette, News Media Corp. also has shut down the Torrington Telegram, Lusk Herald, Uinta County Herald, Bridger Valley Pioneer and Kemmerer Gazette.
- Widespread Impact
Reports indicate that approximately 30 employees are losing their jobs across Wyoming, according to CowboyStateDaily. - Reason Cited by NMC
The company attributed the shutdowns to “financial challenges, a significant economic downturn, revenue losses, rising expenses, and a failed attempt to sell the company”.
I am shocked that NMC could not sell these papers and their digital domains. There are still plenty of savvy entrepreneurs who understand the value of local reach. The price tag must have been unreasonable.
Why Local Papers Are Failing
- Declining ad revenue & lack of trust
Newspapers across the U.S. are grappling with rapidly falling advertising revenue and a general distrust of news due to political bias. - News deserts & civic decline
This crisis is creating more “news deserts”, which are communities without any local news coverage. Such areas face reduced civic engagement, increased government waste, and deeper political polarization. - Corporate consolidation and lack of local ownership
Small local papers swallowed by larger chains often lose local autonomy and resilience, becoming vulnerable to abrupt decisions at the corporate level, just like these recent closures by NMC.
Possible Pathways Forward for Local News in Wyoming
1. Community-owned or nonprofit models
Local organizations, foundations, or residents can band together to operate nonprofit news outlets—similar to models like the Tucson Sentinel, filling the void independently.
2. Public media partnerships
Expanding support for Wyoming public broadcasters or community radio could help, though recent federal cuts to public media threaten such efforts nationally.
3. Digital and hyperlocal platforms
Launching online-only local news sites, newsletters, or covering community events via digital-first platforms can be lower-cost alternatives. Hence, our idea behind the Teton Tattle.
4. Regional collaborations and shared services
Neighboring towns might share resources like reporters, printing, or advertising staff to help sustain local reporting with reduced overhead.
5. Philanthropy and grant funding
Grants from journalism funds, local businesses, or philanthropic entities could underwrite reporting, especially if traditional advertising revenue is no longer reliable.
These closures reflect deeper systemic challenges in the industry: collapsing advertising, shifting media consumption patterns, and fragile ownership structures.
For many of us today, our main news source is X, Apple News, or our favorite national publication. The idea of a fair local newsroom is going the way of the dinosaur. A competitive market, with competing values, may be the only way to keep local news afloat. Unfortunately, most rural areas can not or will not allow for the existence of two views. Now we are seeing the results of such biased and limited thinking.
AntlersArch founder and the voice behind Teton Tattle.
