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Hartman Newspapers LLP of Rosenberg announced on May 20 the acquisition of the El Campo Leader-News, Wharton Journal-Spectator and East Bernard Express from the Barbee and Elam families.
“Our friend Chris Barbee will stay on as editor and publisher in El Campo, while Bill Wallace will be joining our team as editor and publisher in Wharton and East Bernard,” said Fred Hartman, vice president of Hartman Newspapers.
Barbee grew up in the newspaper business and served as editor of the Leader-News while his late father, Fred Barbee, served as publisher. Upon Fred Barbee’s death in October 2007, Chris Barbee assumed the publisher’s job, along with the editor and publisher positions in Wharton. He and his wife Carol have two grown children, Jonathan and Julie.
Wallace comes from a newspaper in Roseville, Calif. He is a native of Tennessee, where he worked in his family printing business before working for Thomson Newspapers at a number of publications in the South and Southeast. Prior to working in California, Wallace was in Bullhead City, Ariz., and Lake Charles, La., where he met his wife Karen, a native of Silsbee.
“We want to welcome Chris and Bill to the Hartman group, and look forward to great things from them in the future.
“There was familiarity with the newspapers not only because they are close to our headquarters geographically, but because the Barbees have been our printing customers for the past 15 years in Rosenberg,” Hartman said.
A new company, Wharton County Newspapers Inc., was created to purchase the newspapers. WCN is owned by several Hartman family members and employees. Fred Hartman is president of Wharton County Newspapers Inc.
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