Brief History of The Leader Tribune

The Leader Tribune is one of Fort Valley’s oldest businesses. Established in 1888, the newspaper has been serving the citizens of Fort Valley, Byron, Powersville, and Peach County as the official county organ and chief news source for over 120 years. The Leader Tribune came into being through the merger of two newspapers: the Fort Valley Leader and the Fort Valley Enterprise.  The Fort Valley Leader was owned by Thomas Virgil Fagan.  Samuel “Bully” Austin was its editor. The Fort Valley Enterprise was co-owned and co-edited by Will Kersh and Will Wynne.  

The principal owners since the 1890s have been Thomas J. Shephard (1898 to 1925), John H. Jones (1925-1952), Dan Grahl (1952-1974), Wilton Walton (1975- 1984), Bob Tribble (1984 to 2005), Co-owners Daniel K. Evans and Bob Tribble ( 2005 to 2006), Daniel K. Evans (2006 to 2010), and Tribble Publications from April 1, 2010 to present. 

The chief administrative officers of Tribble Publications are Bob Tribble-President and Mitch Tribble-Vice President. 

The Fort Valley office staff comprises Judy Robinson-General Manager and Publisher, Renee Goggins-Office Manager, Donna Trussell-Business Manager, Victor Kulkosky-News Editor, Emily Griffin-Advertising Manager, A. W. Dorsey-Sports Correspondent, and Tara Mercer-Circulation Manager.

Since its inception, The Leader Tribune has relocated several times in Fort Valley: from (1) Main Street to (2) Vineville Street to (3) West Main Street and (4) is presently located at 109 Anderson Avenue. 

The Leader Tribune is a community-oriented newspaper that is published weekly by Peach Publishing Company, Inc.  Its staff seeks to produce a quality newspaper that provides accurate, timely, and unbiased news for all the citizens of Peach and adjoining counties.