Tribune, Democrat will merge to form county paper

The Tri-City Tribune announced this week it soon will merge with its sister paper, the Trumann Democrat, to form a countywide newspaper. While an official date has not yet been set, publisher Ron Kemp said the merger could come as soon as July 1.

"This is something we've been looking at for several years," said Samantha Martin, managing editor of both papers. "After talking with community leaders, we decided now is the right time to move forward with the merger and expansion."

The newly-formed Poinsett County Democrat-Tribune will continue to cover news in Lepanto, Marked Tree, Tyronza and Trumann but will expand to also cover other areas in the county as well.

"We're excited about offering a bigger, better newspaper," said Martin. "Our readers can expect the same locally focused news, sports and feature stories in addition to more news about what's going on in other areas of the county."

Martin said both the Tribune and the Trumann Democrat always have prided themselves in being extensively involved in the communities they serve and plan to continue those efforts.

"We're proceeding forward with our full staff so you will still see us at your civic club meetings and city council meetings just as you always have," said Martin. "This is not about cutting back on news coverage of our local towns but rather about expanding what we have to offer our readers and advertisers."

"We believe Poinsett County and its communities have a good future, and we hope to help play an integral role in that growth and development," Kemp said. "Our goal is to publish a strong newspaper that will cover the news in an interesting and professional manner and to provide an effective marketing tool for our advertisers. We firmly believe this new expanded newspaper will serve the people of Poinsett County well."

The home office for the Democrat Tribune will be located at 201 Highway 463 South in Trumann. In anticipation of the merger, the Tribune offices will be moved to the new location Thursday, June 4, but Marked Tree, Lepanto and Tyronza customers still can place classifieds, drop off news and pay for subscriptions in Marked Tree. The drop-off location will be located inside Terry Jean's gift shop on Frisco Street in Marked Tree. The shop is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Martin said the Tribune also plans to partner with a Lepanto merchant in the next few weeks to offer a similar drop-off location for Lepanto customers.

Effective Friday, June 5, customers also will be able to continue to call in their news and advertisements free via the new toll free number, 888-483-6317. The new mailing address will be: P.O. Box 5, Trumann, AR 72472, and the fax number will be 870-483-6031. The editor's e-mail address will be tribuneeditor@centurytel.net. Advertisements can be e-mailed to tribuneads@centurytel.net, and sports to tribunesports@centurytel.net.

"We have always been proud to be a community-oriented newspaper and that will not change," said Martin. "We take seriously our job to record the history of our area and bring current, relevant news to our readers. We have always appreciated the support of our communities and look forward to continuing those relationships in the future."

Those with questions or comments are encouraged to contact Martin at 870-931-8375 or at the toll free number after June 5.