Local newspaper closes after more than 110 years

Branson Tri-Lakes News ceases operation

It was a sad day for the community when the Branson Tri-Lakes News closed their doors on July 16. The sudden announcement of the closure took not only the publication’s employees but also the entire community by surprise.

The Branson Tri-Lakes News and two additional publications owned by the same parent company, Lancaster Management, the Stone County Republican/Crane Chronicle and the Barry County Advertiser, closed without notice last week.  

The Branson Tri-Lakes News had ties to the oldest newspapers in Taney County. According to historians, the oldest publication in the county, the Taney County Republican, was founded in 1895. Though operations ceased at times during the paper’s earliest days, it was published continuously from 1912 to 1993, when it became part of the Branson Tri-Lakes Daily News.

Another predecessor of the Branson Tri-Lakes News was The Branson Beacon, which was founded in the late 1950s, and also became a part of the Branson Tri-Lakes News in 1993, along with two other publications, the White River Leader and the Southwest Missourian.

The Branson Tri-Lakes Daily News printed five days a week until 2009, when the word “Daily” was dropped and the newspaper began publishing twice a week.

Lancaster Management acquired the Branson Tri-Lakes News in 2013.

In recent years, the Branson Tri-Lakes News also produced special publications, including Branson This Week, on a regular basis.

The offices of the Branson Tri-Lakes News also housed a printing facility, printing publications from around the region, which has also closed, impacting not only those in Branson, but around the region.

Many expressed their disbelief that such an established business shuttered its doors, and all shared their concerns for the staff of the Branson Tri-Lakes News, who were notified about the closing as it happened.

Said Brian Seitz, State Representative District 156, “I have enjoyed their area coverage for over 40 years and they have been very fair to myself and all elected officials in getting the word out about our accomplishments. I value the friendships made, including with reporter Jason Wert and umpteen others. I hope that the employees and advertisers can continue to be blessed in our one-of-a-kind area.”

The staff of the Branson Globe joins the community in offering our best wishes to all of the employees of Branson Tri-Lakes News.