The landscape of small newspapers has changed dramatically over the past two decades, and we continue to evolve so we can better serve our readers and local businesses for years to come. Not only has the newspaper business changed, but our communities change. Even in the movie “Back to the Future,” they couldn’t stay in the past. The age-old question, “Why do we have to change?” can be answered with, because if we don’t we will be left behind.
As the owner of The Milford Times, the Seward County Independent, The Crete News, The Friend Sentinel and The Wilber Republican, I know we have to continue to change with the landscape. To strengthen our coverage and reach even more households across the county, we will be merging The Milford Times with our county-wide newspaper, the Seward County Independent. Wednesday, Dec. 31, will be the final edition of The Milford Times.
This decision wasn’t made lightly — The Milford Times has proudly served the community for 68 years, However, here are some of the realities of publishing a weekly newspaper. In the past two years our postage rate has increased by over 25 percent. Our printing cost has also had a double digit percentage increase during the same period. With that combination, we lose money most weeks of publishing The Milford Times. These aren’t the only cost-associated items that make the merger necessary, but they are the biggest.
So enough of why we feel this is the time to merge the newspapers. We have had the same Milford area news in the Seward County Independent for years as the news is important to the entire county. This merger is a real opportunity to combine our efforts. We will deliver even more Milford-area news to a larger audience and give our advertising partners access to a significantly wider readership.
Let this sink in. More than 3,200 U.S. newspapers have closed in the last 20 years, leaving 206 counties as news deserts, according to research by Northwestern’s State of Local News project. We are avoiding having a news desert in Milford with the merger.
As a Milford Times subscriber, you will now receive both the print and online e-editions of the Seward County Independent which will continue to include the Milford news you count on. We also have our Daily Slice daily update five days a week you can subscribe to for free.
We will continue to have Stephanie Croston, Lori Shiner, Hanna Christianson, Doug Carroll and other writers and photographers covering stories in Milford. We also use local contributors which will continue supplying information as well in the Seward County Independent.
Beginning Jan. 7, 2026, our new Seward County Independent subscribers will receive Milford stories, photos, features, sports and updates bringing all our communities together under one strong publication.
Current Milford Times subscribers will have their subscription extended based on the remaining months of their existing term. For questions please contact Jeanette Bennett at the Seward County Independent at 402-643-3676 or stop by 129 S. 6th Street in Seward.
To make this transition even smoother, we are offering a renewal price of $40 for the Seward County Independent to all current Milford Times subscribers through Jan. 31, 2026.
Together we look forward to expanding our reach, enhancing our storytelling and ensuring Milford’s stories are shared with an even larger audience across Seward County.
