The newspaper was taken over by Barham Pratt Boorman in 1890, after its owners, the Masters brothers, were jailed and forced to sell up.

Edwin took the Chair and remained at the helm until the end of 2005 when he was succeeded by his oldest daughter, Geraldine Allinson.

[1] The Office of Fair Trading then referred the matter to the Competition Commission, because of the possible monopoly it might create.

[2] Due to this interest by the Office of Fair Trading and Competition Commission, the take-over of the papers was scrapped.

[4] KM Media Group operates a number of weekly newspapers for different parts of Kent which have been acquired over the years.

KM Media Group owns and operates seven commercial FM radio stations in Kent.

[11] KM Media Group has offices in Ashford, Canterbury, Deal, Gravesend, Maidstone, Medway, Ramsgate and Sheerness.