It's transition time at the Chronicle

As you can tell by the large headline on the front page of this issue, the Custer County Chronicle is under new ownership. All good things come to an end, and in this case, the good thing is the ownership of the Chronicle by Charley and Norma Najacht, who have owned the newspaper since purchasing it from Jim and Alice Anderson in December 1999.
The Chronicle, along with its sister paper, the Hill City Prevailer News, are now under the ownership of Jerry Lenander. What does that mean? It means the Chronicle is still under local, private ownership. And that’s a good thing. This day and age when a newspaper sells, it is almost always sold to a large chain or hedge fund who has but one goal in mind when purchasing the paper—cut things to the bone and bleed every last dollar out of the paper. Their plan is to basically cut experienced staff and do the bare minimum. They don’t really care about the quality of the newspaper, just the money it brings in. It’s not fair to the readers, the employees, or the pursuit of honest journalism in general.
Local ownership means the Chronicle will keep doing what it has been doing—bringing you all the local news you need to know in a timely matter. Whether it’s the city council, Wildcat sports or the Sheriff’s Log, you can rest assured, the paper isn’t going to change. You likely won’t even notice a difference in terms of the look and content of the paper, except for Jerry’s name will be listed as the publisher in the little box below this editorial. Charley and Norma’s names will no longer be in that box. They’ve earned their retirement, and have earned their names no longer being listed as staff members of the paper.
We have a small but dedicated staff that will remain intact. If you come into our office, you’re definitely going to notice a change. The gift store that has been located in the front of the store, A Step Back in Time, is no longer. Norma’s art will step hang on the wall and be fore sale, but other than that, the gift store will be just a memory. We will likely do some furniture moving and maybe some renovating in the future, but for now things will remain as is as we get our sea legs under us under this new ownership.
The new owner loves the newspaper and loves Custer, and has some exciting ideas for things to add in the future. Look for the Chronicle and its staff to be very visible in the community, whether it’s at Merchant’s Trick or Treat, other chamber functions or just community events in general. We want to be at the front of community events, because it’s good for us and good for the town. We all want to continue to see Custer thrive. Through our publicaitons, we can continue to make that happen. This was a great year for Custer. We hope to make 2022 even better.
We ask that you be patient with us during this transition. As with any change, it can be scary, and the staff will be feeling its way around the change. Some of the staff have worked for the Najachts for over 20 years, but we are all excited to learn and grow with Jerry, and we know he is excited to learn and grow with us. It’s going to be a great partnership, and your local paper is going to thrive, thanks to ownership, the best employees and a community that wholeheartedly supports its newspaper.
It’s a new day here at the Chronicle, and we couldn’t be more excited. Your Custer County Chronicle has been independently owned and operated for 140 years, and we’re pleased it’s going to continue down that path.
Here’s to the next 140 years.

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