Buna gets new owners

BUNA — Thomas and Melissa Swedoski purchased the Buna Beacon from Gordon Fales.

Retiring Beacon owner Fales announced the ownership change effective May 18.

They will be co-publishers and Thomas will serve as advertising manager while Melissa is editor.

Thomas Swedoski has worked for the Daingerfield Bee and Pittsburg Gazette. Melissa Swedoski began her career at the Pottsboro Press as a reporter and later served as editor. The couple met at the Mount Pleasant Daily Tribune, where she was city editor and he was an advertising account executive.

Dorman Cordell represented the seller in the transaction.

Editor, local residents purchase Merkel

MERKEL — Local residents Jerry and Glenna Wright and editor John Starbuck have purchased The Merkel Mail from longtime owners Cloy and Melanie Richards.

They assumed control of the publication effective June 1.

Glenna Wright will become publisher.

Starbuck has been editor since November 2001 after 10 years at the Abilene Reporter-News.

Panhandle weekly changes ownership

FRITCH — The Eagle Press has been sold to Fritch Texas Eagle Corporation, L.L.C. Linda Brockman is the new editor.

Previous owners Derrol and Debra Wells bought the newspaper on June 1, 1995, just seven years after its founding date.

New publisher in Grandview

GRANDVIEW — Dara Dudley has purchased the Grandview Tribune from Donna Marten and Jack Magness.

Dallas audit drops 100,000 on Sundays

DALLAS — The Audit Bureau of Circulations reported May 13 that circulation at The Dallas Morning News declined 9.6 percent daily and 13.2 percent Sunday for the six-month period that ended March 31, compared with data posted in March 2004.

The News said the audited figures show daily circulation of 477,493, off about 50,000 from March 2004, and Sunday circulation of 655,809, down about 100,000 papers from a year ago.

The ABC audit is the first since Belo disclosed in August that the News had overstated circulation due to of aggressive goals set by former managers and inadequate monitoring of distribution and return policies.