The ¶¶ÒõÖ±²¥Èí¼þ Sun is the flagship publication of family-owned Paxton Media Group, LLC. The company has headquarters in Paducah, Ky., and is managed by Chief Executive Officer James T. Paxton, a fifth-generation descendant of the newspaper’s founders.
In 1896 a group of investors headed by W. P. Paxton launched what was then The Paducah Evening Sun. The newspaper evolved through a series of mergers, buyouts and name changes to become the modern-day ¶¶ÒõÖ±²¥Èí¼þ Sun, a morning newspaper published five days a week in print and online.
Edwin J. Paxton, son of W. P. Paxton, became editor and publisher of the newspaper in 1900 and held both positions until his death in 1961. His son, Edwin J. Paxton Jr., succeeded him as editor and another son, Fred Paxton, took on the business responsibilities of the company, assuming over a period of years the duties of president and publisher.
The company branched into radio in 1946, developing the radio station WKYB. The company sold the radio station 10 years later to launch WPSD-TV, and NBC affiliate and western Kentucky's first television station, which Paxton Media continues to operate.
E.J. Paxton Jr. served as editor of the Sun from 1961 until his retirement from the company June 1, 1977. His son Jack Paxton succeeded him. Jack had been an NBC correspondent, covering the Vietnam War and violence in Northern Ireland. He served as editor of the newspaper until his untimely death in a plane accident in 1985.
Jim Paxton, a lawyer and eldest son of Fred Paxton, was named editor in 1986 and served as editor and publisher until his retirement in 2018. Bill Evans, current vice president and general manager of WPSD Local 6, came on board as the ¶¶ÒõÖ±²¥Èí¼þ Sun publisher in October 2018. Evans also leads all operations in theÌýWest Kentucky Media Group, including newspapers in Benton, Eddyville, Princeton, Mayfield, Metropolis (Ill.), and Carbondale (Ill.).
The ¶¶ÒõÖ±²¥Èí¼þ Sun continues to be published at 408 Kentucky Avenue, a downtown site it has occupied since 1933. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, in conjunction with the return of the fourth-generation family members David Paxton and Richard Paxton to the company, Paxton Media embarked on an ambitious acquisition program that is still underway. The company now publishes more than 150 daily and weekly newspapers and niche publications in the Midwest and South.
