The Hutchinson Tribune has entered into negotiations with Kansas Publishing Ventures to secure the Tribune’s future and ensure its longstanding health after its co-founder leaves for college in the fall.
Michael Glenn, a Trinity Catholic High School student and co-founder of the Hutchinson Tribune, reached out to Kansas Publishing Ventures Majority Owners Joey and Lindsey Young when he and Gina Long originally launched the Tribune a few years ago.
Glenn and Long, a research librarian, have been running the Tribune part-time and growing its audience since the summer of 2023. Both have been featured in Editor & Publisher magazine, the “Hatteberg’s People” television show, KCUR radio, Spectrum News and other outlets for their leadership in seeing a need in their community and tackling it head-on with the Tribune.
“Joey and Lindsey have been excellent mentors in journalism, and they are some of the most trusted people I know in this industry,” Glenn said. “As I step back from Hutch to pursue a college education, the Youngs and KPV will ensure Hutchinson has a locally owned newspaper that advocates for its community.”
Joey and Lindsey Young are both Reno County natives—Joey a 2003 graduate of Buhler High School and Lindsey a 2002 graduate of Haven High School. They are extremely interested in making sure quality journalism continues in Hutchinson.
“Lots of folks in Hutch know I have wanted to do something here from the day I found out Gatehouse was purchasing The Hutchinson News,” Joey said. “I worked at The News for a couple of years, know how good that paper once was, and I look forward to expanding on what Michael and Gina have started with the Tribune and hope we can ensure Hutchinson never goes without quality local journalism ever again.”
Kansas Publishing Ventures started a newspaper to compete with a private-equity-owned legacy newspaper in Newton 10 years ago, so they know what it takes to compete and thrive in a competitive media market.
“There are a lot of things I wish we would have known when we launched in Newton,” Joey said. “We are going into this Hutchinson project with our eyes fully open about what it takes to start and maintain a publication. Those experiences launching in Newton will only make our Hutchinson venture that much stronger.”
Hutchinson native Jackson Swearer will be a co-owner and the publication’s publisher when the purchase is complete in May.
“Local ownership is important to us and to Michael and Gina, so if we were going to enter into negotiations, we wanted to make sure the public knew we had someone locally with skin in the game who was going to be involved at an intimate level,” Joey said.
“After several rewarding years working alongside business owners across Reno County, I’m eager to dive into this exciting entrepreneurial venture this summer,” Swearer said. “Local journalism offers a powerful way to deepen my commitment to serving Hutchinson and Reno County, helping build a more informed and connected community.”
The transition is planned to begin in May, with Glenn staying on through the summer to lead editorial operations before going off to college in the fall.
“Readers, subscribers and supporters of The Tribune should look to the future with hope and excitement, as I am,” Glenn said. “While change can be difficult, I firmly believe Hutchinson’s publication will only improve as time goes on”
Kansas Publishing Ventures has been featured in Editor & Publisher’s “10 Publishers that do it Right,” on PBS’s “Market-To-Market,” by Spectrum News, and in several trade journals as an example of what can be done with quality local ownership in a media market. Joey and Lindsey regularly travel the country to speak at state press associations about their experience in rural journalism.
“Michael and Gina have done an amazing thing in Hutchinson already,” Joey said. “We want to bring resources, our expertise and a full-time effort to growing what they have started in our hometown.”
Joey and Lindsey both spend a lot of time in Hutchinson, with both their families and lots of friends located in Reno County. Joey’s parents own Scuttlebutt’s Coffee in the Clayworks in Hutchinson. Lindsey’s parents are both retired and volunteer locally.
“Hutch is home,” Joey said. “Lindsey and I met at Hutchinson Community College. We eventually left Hutchinson to start a newspaper in Newton, because, at the time, Hutchinson had a great family-owned paper. There was no need for what we wanted to do at the time. Now there is, and we are excited that Michael and Gina trust us to take what they have started and shepherd it forward.”
“Launching a local publication in Newton has been so rewarding for us over the past decade,” Lindsey said. “We have such a passion for community journalism, and building a robust local news product in Hutchinson is such an exciting opportunity.”
If you are interested in getting in touch with Joey or Lindsey, you can reach them at joey@kspublishingventures.com and lindsey@kspublishingventures.com.
Bart Kooiman / February 20, 2025
Good to hear that THT will go on!
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