New press installations are filling voids in “press deserts” as major newspaper groups move out.

In the US, in Park Hills, Missouri, where Greg Hoskins’ Better Newspapers acquired the Daily Journal and other titles from Lee Enterprises in July, a new press line is already installed and almost ready for start-up.

ImPressions Worldwide has installed the ten-unit Goss Community, shipping it from stock at its Tupelo, Mississippi location. With two four-high towers and two mono units, the press will print a 32-page tabloid with half its content in four-colour.

ImPressions’ Tom Loesch says this is one of many press projects on which they are working to “backfill the press deserts” created by big newspaper groups shutting down press operations.

“Independents continue to thrive and are steadily installing presses to fill the voids and restore the printed products, and we’re happy to be part of this ‘print ain’t dead’ mindset.”

Approaching its thirtieth year, the supplier has a team of 15 technicians and claims more than 9000m2 of inventory and manufacturing space in two locations.

Hoskins’ acquisition of the Park Hills Daily Journal in Missouri, and the Fredericktown Democrat News, Farmington Press and Advantage in Michigan, was announced in July.

Pledging more news content – with an emphasis on increasing local news – he said then that Better Newspapers would also bring back “local autonomy at each newspaper and the building of a regional, Missouri-based press plant in Park Hills.”

Family-owned Better Newspapers was founded in 1991 and now operates 39 publications in Illinois and Missouri, along with six radio stations.