Dennis H. Phillips - Publisher

Robertson County News,  Hearne Democrat, Franklin Advocate, Calvert Tribune, Bremond Gazata

 

Welcome to the home of the official newspaper of record for Robertson County, Texas. We have two newspapers, Hearne Democrat and the Franklin Advocate, rolled into a neat package called the Robertson County News.

 

In 1898, The Hearne Democrat was the only newspaper to serve Robertson County and would remain so until 1973 or 1974. At that time, a family in Franklin, the county seat of Robertson County, created a newspaper only to serve Franklin and county news.

 

In 1985, The Franklin Advocate came into publication, presumably as a newspaper competing with the already established rival paper.

 

In 2002, Robertson County had several newspapers in print: Hearne Democrat, Franklin Advocate, Calvert Tribune, Robertson County Booster, and the other Franklin paper. The four primary news publications would cease to be owned by a local family when the group of four newspapers was sold to American Consolidated Media (ACM).

 

At the height of ACM's business holdings, more than 100 newspapers from Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas were being managed, traded, and sold as commodities. Among newspaper industry leaders, ACM was considered more of a holding company and less of a newspaper company; ACM would finally sell its last of its holdings in the Texas and Oklahoma newspaper market in 2014.

 

The actions of ACM's short tender significantly negatively impacted the news published in Robertson County. As a result, in 2003, the Hearne Democrat, Franklin Advocate, and Calvert Tribune ceased publication, and in their place, a consolidated newspaper title, "Robertson County News," was born.

 

This action closed the historic newspaper of record, The Hearne Democrat, negating more than 100 years of print service to the residents of Robertson County.

 

In 2010, Moser Community Media (MCM) purchased the Robertson County News (RCN) and all copyrights. At that time, RCN's assets included the copyright to the Hearne Democrat, Franklin Advocate, Calvert Tribune, Robertson County Booster, and Robertson County News. Dennis Phillips later created the Bremond Gazeta in 2019 at the close of the long-standing Bremond Press by George Yezak.

 

In 2012, newspaper veterans Dennis Phillips and Teresa Phillips transferred from Bosque County. The Phillips joined MCM in 2010 to work at The Clifton Record and Meridian Tribune and served those communities until a transfer in June 2012 to Robertson County to take the helm of the Robertson County News.

 

Dennis Phillips, named Publisher of the Robertson County News, and Teresa would take on the Advertising Director and Office Manager duties.

 

In 2014, for the first time in the history of the newspapers of Robertson County, the Phillips with MCM would purchase the historic and former city library building on 4th street in downtown Hearne. That same year, The Franklin Advocate would again begin publication to serve Franklin and Bremond, Texas. In addition, the Robertson County News would take on the news role for Hearne and Calvert, Texas.

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In 2019, at the close of The Bremond Press, the Bremond Gazeta was born to fill the news void in Bremond, Texas.

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Late in the summer of 2019, negotiations began between Jim Moser of MCM and Dennis Phillips to, once again, return the Robertson County News ownership to a family. That fall, Phillips Publishing, LLC was created.​

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In January 2020, Dennis and Teresa Phillips, after eight years of service, shook hands with MCM and became the proud owners of the Robertson County News.

 

AS the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, the Phillips' found themselves caught in an economic downturn right after purchasing the newspaper. It was a tough time for everyone involved in the newspaper industry and the country.

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2021 Teresa Phillips was named the Robertson County News publisher and then in-print Franklin Advocate. However, The Franklin Advocate would soon cease publication and again join the folds of Robertson County solely due to the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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In December 2022, Teresa Phillips was diagnosed with Colon Cancer and, after a 13-month battle, passed away in January 2023. Dennis would resume the mantle of the Robertson County News during that period.

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In October 2023, Roy McCoy, the Phillips' son, assumed the publisher position when Dennis moved to separate himself from the painful memories of Robertson County. Dennis went to Center, TX, to serve as the publisher of the Light and Champion for Jim Moser.

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In an innovative newspaper move, Roy recreated all four publications into one print run, offering single pages to represent each of the four newspapers owned by Phillips Publishing. It was a bold move that served the newspaper well through 2024.

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In August 2024, Dennis married Veronica Davis in a fun ceremony at the Shelby County courthouse. It was a lovely day.

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As time often dictates action, Dennis and Veronica have returned to the Robertson County News after a 14-month hiatus working for MCM. Parting ways with MCM for good on February 1, 2025, and reliving Roy McCoy as a publisher, the couple now reside in Hearne, Texas, their home. Roy continues to work at the Robertson County News as the news editor and other duties.