Carroll County Community Media LLC has purchased the Lovely County Citizen, the company announced Monday.

The company is a partnership between Citizen managing editor Scott Loftis, photographer David Bell and former Berryville Chamber of Commerce director Steve Johnson.

The purchase will be effective Jan. 1. “I’m thrilled that our newspapers will now be locally owned,” said Loftis, who has served as the paper’s managing editor since June 2014 and was general manager from October 2021 until the paper was purchased by CherryRoad Media from Rust Communications in March 2022. “I believe our newspaper serves a vital role in this community and having it be 100 percent locally owned is the way it ought to be.”

Immediate plans call for the Citizen to became an online- only publication beginning Jan. 1.

“This is not something we wanted to do,” Loftis said. “But the reality is there’s not enough advertising revenue to support a print newspaper right now. We have one paid retail ad in this week’s paper and that’s not enough to even pay the printing bill. If enough advertisers step forward, we would absolutely consider reinstating the printed paper. The good news is that we’ll be able to get the news online much quicker this way, rather than waiting until after the print edition is printed.”

In addition to the Citizen, the company also purchased its sister publications — the Carroll County News and the Ozark Mountain Trader, as well as specialty publications including the Eureka Springs Visitor and Currents magazine.

Loftis will oversee day-to-day operations as editor and publisher. Bell and Johnson, who publish a successful motorcycle magazine, Cruise the Ozarks, also will be involved in charting a new path for the publications.

“I’m so glad that David and Steve are partnering in this venture,” Loftis said. “They bring a lot of talent and experience to the table that I believe will be very helpful to us.”

The Carroll County News has been awarded first place for General Excellence for medium-circulation weekly newspapers by the Arkansas Press Association five times in the past six years. Loftis has won or shared a total of 43 individual APA awards in his time at the newspaper, including 19 first-place honors. In 2020, Loftis was awarded first place for investigative reporting by the Arkansas Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists in a contest open to journalists from Arkansas and its six surrounding states. In October, Loftis received first place in the Freedom of Information category from the National Newspaper Association Foundation.

“We’ve set a standard here from a reporting perspective, and we intend to continue doing that kind of work,” Loftis said. “At the same time, we want to connect with the community and be a part of it. We are going to be truly a local business and that carries some responsibility. We’re also going to need the community’s help. We need people to support us, whether that’s through sponsorships, advertising or just buying a subscription. We want these publications not just to continue but to thrive along with our community.”

Before coming to Berryville, Loftis worked for 10 years at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in Little Rock and also spent 10 years at the Pine Bluff Commercial, the last four as managing editor.

“I’ve worked at larger newspapers, but when I got to Berryville, I simply fell in love with this place and these newspapers,” Loftis said. “Berryville is my home now. And I have a passion for these newspapers. Other than my family, these newspapers are the reason I get out of bed every morning. No one loves these newspapers like I do, and I’m going to take very good care of them.”

Bell, whose photos have been a fixture in the Carroll County News and its sister publications, said he was joining in the purchase in part to honor his late wife, Mary Ann Sellick Bell.

“I decided more than 35 years ago to make Mary Ann’s hometown mine,” Bell said. “So this is a wonderful opportunity to have a positive impact on Carroll County.”

Johnson said local ownership will allow the papers to improve their coverage of Carroll County.

“My wife, Karen, and I have always believed a local newspaper needs to cover what’s going on in our local community,” Johnson said. “Now we have the local control to better cover our schools, our clubs, our events and our unique communities here in Carroll County.”

Jeremy Gulban, chief executive officer of CherryRoad Media, said the purchase is “great news” for Carroll County. CherryRoad will continue to provide software support for the newspaper.

“This is great news for the community in Carroll County,” Gulban said. “Under Scott Loftis’ leadership these newspapers have won numerous awards over the last several years. I look forward to seeing what he has planned in the future as the publisher of the paper. I wish to thank Scott, David and Steve for stepping forward and taking on this challenge. We will be here to help them succeed going forward.”