Founded in 1832, the Athens Banner-Herald's roots trace back to one of the state's oldest newspapers, the Southern Banner. It merged with the Herald in 1921 and was purchased by William S. Morris III in 1965 as it was emerging as one of the finest newspapers in the state. It excelled beyond its competition in content, technology and print methods.

The Daily News began as a converted weekly that had once been a shopper. The Athens Advertiser, as it was called before it became a daily, became an instant sensation with readers. In 1967 Morris Communications Corporation purchased the Daily News, and the morning and afternoon papers in Athens were brought together under one roof.

In May 2001, the two papers were merged into one paper - the resulting newspaper was a redesigned morning paper named the Athens Banner-Herald. Its current circulation is 28,000 daily and 32,500 Sunday, and its website, OnlineAthens, surpassed 5 million hits in October 2003.