The Asheboro Courier-Tribune has been sold to a family-owned media group out of Kentucky.

On Dec. 1 the Paxton Media Group is acquiring six newspapers in North Carolina from Gannett Co., Inc. including the Asheboro Courier-Tribune. Other papers are The Dispatch of Davidson County, the Burlington Times-News, the Kinston Free Press, the New Bern Sun Journal, and The Daily News of Jacksonville.

Paxton Media Group is a 125-year-old media company headquartered in Paducah, Kentucky, and is managed by fourth- and fifth-generation Paxton family members.

The company owns more than 100 newspapers across the Midwest and Southeast, as well as 10 newspapers in North Carolina.

"We are excited to add these newspapers to our growing portfolio in North Carolina," said Jamie Paxton, PMG president and CEO. "PMG believes strongly in the value of local newspapers and the vital role they play in the communities that they serve. We appreciate being chosen to be the new stewards of these important community assets and intend to work hard to maintain the trust that these publications have earned over their long and storied history."

The papers included in the purchase previously operated under GateHouse Media Group which merged with Gannett in 2019 and have operated under Gannett/USA Today Network since that time.

Paxton currently operates several newspapers across North Carolina, including The High Point Enterprise, Goldsboro News-Argus, The Daily Dispatch (Henderson), The Sanford Herald, The Enquirer-Journal (Monroe), News-Topic (Lenoir), The Daily Courier (Forest City), The Daily Herald (Roanoke Rapids).

There also are several weekly newspapers in the division, including the Thomasville Times.

"We look forward to serving the readers and businesses in these communities," said Jana Thomasson, North Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia division president and group publisher. "We focus on local content and our goal is to add journalists for this purpose."

This article originally appeared on The Dispatch: Asheboro Courier-Tribune sold to Paxton Media Group