MONDOVI — Beginning with Thursday’s issue, subscribers to Buffalo County’s three weeklies will receive a newly merged newspaper, the Buffalo County News.
The newspapers last week announced the (Alma) Buffalo County Journal, Mondovi Herald-News and Cochrane-Fountain City Recorder would be merged to form one newspaper serving the entire county. All three newspapers shared the same parent company, Media One.
Mike Stumpf, Media One owner and publisher of the three newspapers, said in the announcement that discussions regarding a potential merger began three years ago. The current economic conditions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic then “forced their hand.”
“By publishing three different newspapers in Buffalo County, we have a lot of redundancy,” Stumpf said in the announcement. “By combining the three papers it will allow us to get a better price on printing of the paper.”
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The Journal is the oldest of the three newspapers, dating back to 1868. Mondovi’s newspaper, which first printed on Feb. 4, 1876, was originally known as the Buffalo County Herald before changing its name in 1890 to the Mondovi Herald-News. The Recorder, which was first called the Republican, started printing in 1923.
Stumpf family ownership of the three newspapers began in 1969 with Mike’s father, Gary Stumpf, purchasing the Recorder. He added the Journal in 1985, and Mike purchased the Herald-News in 2011.
