Sexton Media Group to acquire Neosho (Missouri) Daily News

Sep 7, 2021

Sexton Media Group announced July 28, 2021, that it has agreed to acquire the Neosho (Missouri) Daily News and the Aurora Advertiser from Gannett Co. Inc. Sexton Media Group is owned by Jimmy and Rhonda Sexton, of Neosho. The transaction is expected to close on September 1.

Dirks, Van Essen & April, a media merger and acquisition firm based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, represented Gannett in the transaction. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

In addition to these two newspapers, Sexton Media owns two other local publications, The News-Dispatch and River Hills Traveler. Since The News-Dispatch and the Neosho Daily News publications serve the same area, Jimmy Sexton said he plans to merge the publications, and beginning Sept. 1 they will operate solely as Neosho Daily News.

"We are proud to continue the tradition of family ownership of one of Neosho's oldest businesses, and we look forward to being a cheerleader for this community," Sexton said. "I've been in the newspaper business for 34 years, and actually interned with the Neosho Daily for Anne Cope, whose family owned the Daily for many, many years. I've worked for several different papers over the years, and to be in a position to purchase the hometown newspaper I grew up with is a dream come true. I want to thank Gannett for this amazing opportunity, and I want to let the Cope family know that I plan to build on the legacy they created."