Courier Publisher Joe Hurd retires, newspaper acquired by Richardson Media Group Inc.
Retiring Publisher Joe Hurd and new owner Daniel RichardsonRon Schaming
Editor
schaming@courieranywhere.com
The Courier, established in 1884, is now under new ownership.
Joe and Annette Hurd sold Savannah Publishing Co. on Wednesday afternoon to Daniel Richardson and his wife Lena.
Joe’s mother and stepfather, Kate and Bill Craddock, owned the newspaper starting in 1957. Jim and Beth Thompson owned and managed a part of the newspaper, and the Hurds acquired ownership in full prior to Jim’s death in 2016.
“My family is proud to have been responsible for reporting the news in Hardin County for decades, and we’re pleased the new owners likewise come from a strong newspaper background,” said Joe Hurd, a retired Air Force lieutenant general. “It’s good to know I can retire from publishing and leave The Courier in good hands.”
From a tender age, Daniel Richardson has been steeped in the world of newspaper publishing, inheriting a legacy and a love for storytelling from his late father, Dennis Richardson, the founder of Tennessee-based Magic Valley Publishing.
Daniel was CEO of Magic Valley Publishing, playing a pivotal role in expanding the company’s reach and impact, overseeing the operations of 17 titles and ensuring that each publication adhered to the principles of integrity, transparency and community service.
He has now embarked on a new chapter with his own company, Richardson Media Group Inc., managing five newspapers in Tennessee, and owning a newspaper in Martin and now The Courier.
"Lena and I are very excited about the next phase of our lives with such an iconic newspaper as The Courier and the great Hardin County-Savannah community,” Richardson said.
The new publisher of The Courier was in the Marine Corps Reserves, with service that included deployment to Iraq.
He and wife Lena have four children, Emmalyn, 11; Elizabeth, 9; Ella, 5; and Benjamin, 21 months. The family is expecting a fifth child in March.
