The Bluffton Sun and The Hilton Head Sun owners purchase Daniel Island News

The ownership group behind The Bluffton Sun and The Hilton Head Sun has added another South Carolina newspaper to its portfolio.

Jack and Kyle Osteen — part of the family that has operated The Sumter Item since 1894 — along with Vince Johnson, group publisher of The Sumter Item, purchased The Daniel Island News. The transaction closed Sept. 2.

The group also owns The Lexington County Chronicle in Lexington and Gulf Coast Media, a network of four weeklies in Baldwin County, Alabama.

For readers of The Bluffton Sun and The Hilton Head Sun, the acquisition signals continued investment in community- focused journalism across the group’s publications and the Lowcountry.

The purchase marks a new chapter for The Daniel Island News, which was founded in 2003 by Suzanne Detar. After more than two decades as owner and publisher, Detar plans to retire but will assist with the transition.

“I’m excited about the experience and resources the new owners bring to the community and am confident that they will support and promote the community and our amazing staff at The Daniel Island News,” Detar said. “I’ve had a wonderful 22 years publishing the paper, and now I’m looking forward to spending more time with my grandchildren.”

The addition of The Daniel Island News broadens the reach of the ownership group’s community publications in the Lowcountry, creating stronger ties between Bluffton, Hilton Head and Charleston. Local readers can expect stability in ownership, ongoing commitment to neighborhood-level coverage.

The Osteen family’s long history in South Carolina journalism underscores that commitment. Their flagship publication, The Sumter Item, is one of the state’s oldest family-owned newspapers.

By expanding, the group positions itself to strengthen local journalism at a time when many community newspapers across the country face financial and staffing challenges.

For Bluffton and Hilton Head readers, the purchase of The Daniel Island News
reinforces the group’s commitment to community journalism in the Lowcountry and to the values on which the Sun newspapers were founded.