The Great Bend Tribune has been purchased by GBTrib LLC effective May 18, 2026. The newspaper was previously owned by Morris Multimedia Inc. in Savannah, Georgia.

Charles H. Morris, Chairman of the Board and Founder of parent Company Morris Multimedia Inc. stated, “We have owned these Kansas operations for over 50 years, and they were one of the first newspapers we acquired after I founded the Company. It is a challenging time in the media industry, and as we move forward, we believe it is critically important that media businesses have an opportunity for scale, whether in the form of a number of media businesses in the same geographic area, or owners that are local that can leverage print media with their other local operations.

“Sheryl Cheely and Mark Bitter have been and are successful, local business leaders that have firm roots in central Kansas. They are also believers in the value of local media. We feel that the newspapers in Great Bend, Ellsworth and Marquette have a bright future under new local ownership. We want to thank the talented staff of these businesses for all their hard work and contributions over the years. Morris Multimedia is a diversified, privately owned media company operating in seven states and headquartered in Savannah, Georgia.”

The Tribune will continue operations under the same name and staff. Sheryl Cheely stated. “We are excited to bring local ownership to the Tribune, and want to thank Mr. Morris and his company for the years of dedication to this community. While no major changes are planned, you will soon notice additional articles of local focus and interest. We look forward to listening and learning how we can best serve the needs of the businesses and subscribers in this community.”