ATHENS COUNTY, Ohio –– The Athens News announced that after nearly 50 years of publication, it will no longer print its weekly editions.
The move is “based on direction from Adams Multimedia,” according to a Sunday, Jan. 25 website post announcing the change.
The Athens News launched as an alternative weekly in 1977 by founder and longtime publisher Bruce Mitchell. In 2014, he and business partner Guy Phillips sold the paper to Adams Publishing Group, now Adams MultiMedia. (Mitchell passed away in 2025.)
Adams MultiMedia owns dozens of outlets across 20 states. The Athens News and local print and digital outlet The Athens Messenger are among the eight outlets managed by its Ohio division.
“The company hopes to bring the publication to a more digital forward format and thanks the community for their patience as our editorial team waits for further direction on its future format. As of now, the ANews website will receive a weekly update with the most relevant community articles from The Athens Messenger,” the Athens News online statement reads.
The same brief message was shared on Facebook by The Athens News at about 5 a.m. Sunday. Its last website post went live Jan. 20.
The Athens News covers Ohio University happenings and community news and has most recently distributed hard-copy newspapers throughout the area on Wednesdays. The Independent contacted The Athens News Editor Anna Millar for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.
The Independent reached out to Paul Reynolds, regional president Adams MultiMedia Ohio, Wednesday, Jan. 28. Reynolds said the organization would soon release a public statement.
In a Facebook post celebrating the paper’s legacy, former editor Terry Smith –– who ran the newsroom from 1987 to 2020 –– shared throwback ANews coverage, including front covers of editions detailing skinny dipping spots, yurt living, local organization woes and student festivals.
“I hope at some point they [Adams MultiMedia] provide recognition of the rich legacy the A-News leaves behind in the Athens County community,” Smith wrote.
Smith was editor at The Athens News when it was sold to APG, and spoke to the Independent about the sale and his time under new management.
He said there was “no sudden decline” after the 2014 sale, a common misconception about the change. After the sale, the staff won multiple awards they weren’t eligible for prior, as an independent paper, he said.
“In fact, we did quite well until 2020 when I left the paper, and then the paper continued to excel for a few years after that, when a succession of other editors ran the news operation,” Smith told the Independent.
Smith was succeeded by Ohio University journalism graduate Sydney Dawes, who now reports for the Dayton Daily News. Corinne Colbert took over as editor in 2021, but was fired in 2022. (Colbert is now editor in chief of the Athens County Independent.) The publication was overseen next by Allan Brown, from 2022 to 2023, who left to cover hockey; and Miles Layton, from 2023 to 2024, when he launched the Albemarle Observer, an online news publication in North Carolina.
The newspaper that began as “The Athens ‘A’ News” differed in publishing frequency over its decades in print. Its distribution last changed in 2019, transitioning from twice-weekly to weekly.
Smith said the newspaper had a substantial decline in ad revenue under APG.
“Having the freelance budget cut to the bone meant that the paper’s longstanding partnership with talented Ohio University student reporter and photographer freelancers was reduced to an occasional intern,” Smith said. “The main thing that helped us appeal to students, actual student involvement in our news operation, essentially went away.”
When the paper later dropped local news coverage to favor lifestyle and entertainment –– a move that didn’t resonate with local advertisers, Smith said –– he and Mitchell were both disappointed.
“Bruce hadn’t been impressed with the paper for a long time, but this was too much,” Smith said. “The A-News made its name and reputation on the basis of local news, and when that went away, Bruce –– and I –– wondered what was the point?”
The decision to cease printing hard copies of The Athens News “won’t make much of a difference,” Smith said. He considers the transition to an online-only outlet “mainly symbolic,” and wishes well for the paper’s current staff.
“The effective end of The Athens News, a great local source of local news and commentary, happened a long time ago,” Smith said.
Editor’s note: Multiple Athens County Independent staff are former employees of APG Media of Ohio. Corinne Colbert, editor of the Athens County Independent, formerly edited The Athens News. Other ACI staff have been quoted in ANews stories, and/or had work covered or featured in its pages.
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