Two longtime pillars of St. Joseph’s local news landscape are joining forces as part of a growing trend of consolidation within the industry.
News-Press NOW and KQTV have announced what they are calling a “strategic partnership,” a move that will merge portions of their operations and streamline resources to cut costs. Officials with both organizations say the partnership is intended to strengthen local news coverage in northwest Missouri while adapting to ongoing economic challenges facing community journalism nationwide.
The agreement comes amid decades of decline in local newsrooms across the country, as shrinking advertising revenues and the rise of digital media have forced traditional outlets to downsize, merge, or close entirely. According to a press release from Heartland Media, the Atlanta-based company that owns KQ2, the consolidation will “deliver a more robust local news product” by reducing redundancy between the two outlets and allowing both to focus their remaining resources on reporting that serves the community.
Heartland Media CEO Bob Prather said he believes the partnership is a positive step forward for both organizations. “NPG’s values and commitment to local journalism will be a great addition to KQTV’s outstanding local news efforts,” Prather said in the release. “Together, we’ll be able to continue providing the quality local content that viewers and readers in St. Joseph expect.”
News-Press NOW, published by the News-Press & Gazette Company, has served the St. Joseph area since the 1840s and remains one of the oldest continuously operating news organizations in Missouri. KQTV, known on air as KQ2, first began broadcasting in the 1950s and has long been a fixture in the region’s television market. Together, the two outlets have historically made up the core of St. Joseph’s local media presence.
While leaders at both organizations framed the move as a proactive step toward sustainability, the consolidation has already resulted in staff reductions. In a Facebook post, KQ2 News Director Chris Roush acknowledged the human cost of the transition, noting that “some of our colleagues have had to move on.”
Still, Roush emphasized that KQ2’s mission to keep the community informed remains unchanged. “The faces in our newsroom may look a little different, but our commitment to St. Joe and the surrounding communities is the same as it’s always been,” he wrote.
The partnership reflects a larger transformation within local journalism, as smaller markets struggle to maintain independent reporting amid budget pressures. With the collaboration between News-Press NOW and KQTV, St. Joseph joins a growing list of cities where longtime competitors are now combining forces in hopes of keeping local news alive.
