The Next Chapter: Miller to Carry the Times' Legacy Forward Hatcher steps back as longtime community supporter assumes ownership
Twenty years after Woodrow W. Hatcher took a chance on a dream and launched a newspaper devoted to all of Jackson County, the Jackson County Times is preparing to turn the page to a new chapter.
On August 1, longtime Jackson County businessman and community supporter Ricky Miller will assume ownership of the Times, carrying forward the foundation Hatcher built while bringing new ideas, new energy and an unwavering belief in the people who call Jackson County home.
The change marks more than the transfer of a business. It is the passing of a community institution from one local owner to another, with both men sharing a commitment to preserving the Times' unmistakably Jackson County identity.
When Hatcher opened the Jackson County Times in April 2006, Marianna already had a newspaper and Jackson County then had three. He understood the odds. Other publications had opened through the years only to close within five years. Still, he believed there was room, and a need, for a newspaper that would look beyond the county seat and tell the stories of every community in Jackson County.
During its first year, copies were placed in racks throughout the county and offered at no cost, allowing the new publication to introduce itself one reader at a time. From the beginning, Hatcher's vision was clear: The Times would be a Jackson County newspaper in every sense of the name.
That meant Cypress mattered just as much as Marianna. Community happenings deserved space alongside government news, and young athletes in every school and recreation program deserved to see their hard work recognized in print. Above all, Hatcher wanted a publication that found and shared the positive stories unfolding in the county each week.
That commitment took root and grew. Marianna icon Clint Cox roamed sidelines, gyms and ballfields throughout Jackson County, building a sports section second to none and making certain teams across the county received coverage. When Cox later joined the ranks of the semi-retired and devoted more of his time to Deep South Sports, Shelia Mader came aboard as sports editor and continued expanding the Times' presence wherever Jackson County athletes competed.
Photographer Mark Skinner completed a team that readers came to know and trust. Already a loyal supporter of teams throughout the county from his time at the Floridan, Skinner brought the Times some of its most memorable images, capturing determination, celebration and the split-second action that words alone could not preserve. His sudden passing July 16 left a tremendous void in the Times family and throughout the community he so faithfully documented. His work remains an enduring part of the newspaper's history and the visual record of Jackson County.
Now, as Hatcher prepares to step away from the newspaper he founded, he does so with gratitude for those who helped transform an ambitious idea into a publication entering its third decade.
"It's been a ride, but it's now time for me to step back and enjoy a second round of excitement," Hatcher said. "As I look back on the last 20-plus years, I am humbled by the support the Times has received and thankful for the experiences it brought to me. There were challenges throughout the years, but with a dedicated staff, we met every challenge.”
"I want to thank everyone who supported the Times in any way, the present and former employees who gave 100 percent to make the paper what it was.”
Hatcher leaves behind much more than a masthead. He leaves a newspaper that survived when the odds suggested it might not, one that became a weekly chronicle of championships and commencements, public meetings and community milestones, heartbreaking losses and hometown triumphs. For two decades, the Times has recorded the moments that become Jackson County's history.
Miller takes the helm with a deep understanding of the community the newspaper serves. Known throughout Jackson County for his years in the automobile business, he is equally well known for a remarkable spirit of generosity. Over the years, Miller has contributed more than $2 million to organizations, causes and community needs across Jackson County.
He now brings that same wholehearted commitment to the Times.
Miller sees the newspaper not only as a source of information, but as a place where deserving people can be recognized, local history can be preserved and young people can discover that their efforts matter.
"I want to take the Times to the next level," Miller said. "Jackson County is full of history, full of people who have gone above all expectations in their careers, personal lives, athletics and the like. I want to see those people brought to life in the Times, see them given the credit they deserve.”
"I have watched kids' eyes light up seeing their name or picture in the paper. I want to see more of that. Our youth is our future and I want them to know their efforts are not going unnoticed."
Under Miller's ownership, readers can expect the Times to remain firmly rooted in comprehensive local coverage while growing through new features designed around what Jackson County readers want to see. His goal is not to erase the newspaper's past, but to honor it by building on the qualities that earned the Times its place in the community.
The ownership change brings together Hatcher's 20-year legacy and Miller's long record of investing in Jackson County. One built the newspaper from a dream and guided it through two decades of challenges and change. The other steps forward with the resources, enthusiasm and community-minded purpose to help it grow.
The name will remain the Jackson County Times. The commitment will remain Jackson County. And as one owner looks forward to other ventures while still waiting for each week's edition, another prepares to write the newspaper's next chapter.
For the Times and the community it serves, the story is far from finished.
