BUFFALO, Wyo. – Eight Wyoming newspapers that shut down earlier this month as part of the abrupt closure of News Media Corporation will resume publication immediately under new ownership.

Robb and Jen Hicks, owners of the Buffalo Bulletin, and former NMC group publisher Rob Mortimore announced Tuesday they have reached an agreement in principle to purchase NMC’s Wyoming publications. The deal includes rehiring all staff members and restoring operations for newspapers in Niobrara, Goshen, Platte, Sublette and Uinta counties.

“We are honored to assume stewardship of these legacy community newspapers,” Hicks said. “Our foremost priority has been to ensure that these counties are not left without a credible, enduring source of local journalism.”

Mortimore praised NMC CEO J.J. Tompkins for working with the buyers rather than liquidating the papers.

“It would have been far simpler for him to yield to the demands of creditors,” Mortimore said. “Instead, he chose to work with us to safeguard the future of these Wyoming communities, to preserve their newspapers and to ensure that every employee was paid and retained.”

The sale comes just six days after Tompkins announced the immediate closure of NMC’s newspapers in five states, citing an industry-wide economic slowdown, rising expenses and a failed sale attempt. The shutdown drew an outpouring of support from Wyoming residents and concern over the loss of trusted local coverage.

Hicks and Mortimore thanked employees and community members for their patience and support during the transition.

“A newspaper is the lifeblood of a community, but it can only thrive when the community it serves invests in its survival,” Hicks said.

Mortimore, who has more than 20 years of experience in the news industry, will continue serving as group publisher. The Hicks family has operated the Buffalo Bulletin since 1996 and has multigenerational ties to Wyoming journalism dating back more than 70 years.