After nearly nine decades of local family ownership, the Kernersville News was recently sold to Paxton Media Group, a publishing company headquartered in Paducah, Kentucky.

Jana Thomasson, Paxton Media Group’s eastern division president, provided an exclusive statement to Scope News about the acquisition.

“We’re a family-owned newspaper group as well, based out of Kentucky,” she said. “Our goal is to continue to serve the readers and advertisers of this community with local news, sports and marketing opportunities. We believe in local news. We’re focused on small communities to provide local news.”

The newspaper’s new owner publishes dozens of community newspapers throughout the Southern and Midwestern United States.

“We are very excited to add the Kernersville News into the PMG portfolio,” said President and CEO Jamie Paxton, according to a press release. “PMG believes strongly in the value of local newspapers and the vital role they play in the communities that they serve. We appreciate the Harrell family choosing us to be the new stewards of this important community asset.”

The local newspaper had been in the hands of the Carter/Owensby-Harrell family since its founding and a family statement expressed gratitude for those who have played a role in its continued operation since then.

“I would like to thank the many long time employees of the News, our readers and the communities we serve for their long standing support of us. It is time for our family to move on, and we believe we found the best steward for our family legacy in Jamie Paxton and Paxton Media Group.”