Seeley Swan Pathfinder sells to Ponderosa Publications

After nearly 10 years publishing the Seeley Swan Path finder in Seeley Lake, Andi and Nathan Bourne sold the newspaper to brothers Jesse and Lloyd Mullen, owners of Ponderosa Publications.

The newspaper will be managed by the Mullen Newspaper Company, with Andi staying on as editor during the transition, which they hope to have completed by Sept. 1.

"After nearly 10 years, we recognized that we had taken the Pathfinder as far as we could and were getting burned out," Nathan said in the Pathfinder article on the sale. "We felt that it was time to find someone who could bring in fresh energy and ideas."

The story went on to note that the Bournes were “keenly aware of rising challenges facing the newspaper industry, including shuttering printing presses, competition with social media and rising costs,” and felt the larger news group could better weather those challenges.

According to the Pathfinder story, Nathan met Jesse while they served together on the Montana Newspaper Association Advertising Service Board of Directors and began discussing the purchase in March.

The Mullen brothers hail from a family known for publishing smalltown newspapers in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Ohio and Washington.

In March of this year, Ponderosa Publications purchased the Shelby Promoter, Cut Bank Pioneer Press, Glacier Reporter and the Valierian from Brian and LeAnne Kavanagh. The Kavanaugh family had owned and operated the Promoter since 1922.

In 2019 Jesse founded Mullen Newspaper Company in Deer Lodge. The company also manages the Silver State Post in Deer Lodge, the Philipsburg Mail and Stevensville’s Bitterroot Star. Overall, the company manages 13 newspapers in Montana, Idaho, Colorado and Nebraska.