HURON It was supposed to be a celebratory year. On January 6, 2026, the Huron Daily Plainsman will celebrate its 140th completed year serving the community of Huron and outlying communities.
Research had already begun for a group of articles highlighting pivotal moments in Huron history, as recounted by the Plainsman. Those articles were set to begin during the holiday break and lead up to the 140th anniversary.
Instead, on Wednesday, August 6, employees were greeted with a letter from Plainsman owner News Media Corporation (NMC) to let everyone know that the paper would be shutting down, effective immediately. The Plainsman was not alone, however, as this letter was presented to all NMC employees, not just the ones in Huron.
The community learned of the closure through social media in many cases, but by Wednesday evening, many news outlets in the state had caught wind of what was going on.
Four newspapers (Huron Plainsman, Brookings Register, Moody County Enterprise, Redfield Press) were shut down in South Dakota, but immediately upon closure notice, efforts were made to get the papers running again as soon as possible. Potential owners stepped forward with interest in one, two, or all four newspapers in the state. Eventually, an owner with interest in purchasing all four was found and a deal is being finalized to begin printing next week for all four South Dakota papers.
Many stories have circulated on social media and even in news reporting of the closure that have been incorrect.
No NMC employee in Huron or South Dakota knew of the closure before being informed about it on Wednesday. A year-long partnership agreement with an option to purchase between NMC and Carpenter Media Group expired in July, with no purchase agreement reached after that time.
NMC at the time of its closure owned 37 newspapers and shoppers (such as Hurons Payday) in five states, according to the companys website. While the company at one time owned more than 150 newspapers, significant sales in the last ten years have reduced that total.
The four South Dakota newspapers combine for dozens of jobs in the state and the primary news source for roughly 100,000 of the states residents.
Some also cited out-of-state ownership as the scapegoat for the closure. The only issue with that theory is that the Plainsman has been owned by out-of-state owners since 1980, owned by companies with headquarters as far away as California over the past 45 years.
Today, we announce that the Plainsman will be around to celebrate that 140th birthday and to serve the local news needs of our communities for the forseeable future.
With a new start will come some growing pains and changes. The Plainsman will still be considered a daily newspaper due to printing more than once per week, but the paper will no longer be printed five times per week. However, the commitment to bring the communities served by the paper the best, most timely news and community coverage possible will remain the focus.
The old saying (often misattributed to Greek philosopher Heraclitus) of the only constant is change is applicable here. The origin of the Huron Daily Plainsman was The Daily Huronite. The paper grew to the point where it was printing three regular editions each day, and sometimes an additional edition would be printed specific for a major world event.
There are three floors in the Plainsman building. The newsroom has found its home on each floor at one time or another in the history of the paper.
Throughout all of that change, the newspaper remained with its focus on covering the events and activities of those in Huron. The paper continues to be printed here in town, the only daily in the state that has in-house printing.
The first printed edition of the returned Plainsman will come next week on Wednesday. Keep your eyes open, and please continue to support local news and those who make it possible for Huron and surrounding communities!
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