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Community newspapers coming back
At a time when many other newspapers are failing, a small Valley publisher is gearing up to resume publication of three community newspapers. Independent Newspapers, which already publishes fiercely local newspapers in eleven communities around the valley, will start publishing three more beginning Jan. 6 --at Arrowhead Ranch, Chandler and Gilbert. Actually, Independent will be returning to those three communities. It had earlier pulled out of some communities when it was caught in the middle of a competitive battle between two of the country’s biggest corporate publishers: Virginia-based Gannett and Freedom Newspapers, which publishes the Daily News-Sun in the West Valley and the East Valley Tribune. “We simply couldn’t survive in those communities with those two corporate giants slugging it out,” Independent Publisher Bret McKeand admitted. But since Freedom has announced it is may be closing some of its publications --- including the East Valley Tribunes in Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa and Queen Creek --- McKeand believes there will be room for small locallyfocused publications in communities like Chandler, Gilbert and Arrowhead Ranch, and he believes residents deserve --- and will welcome --- a second media outlet. “We have no intention of competing with Gannett’s dailies,” McKeand said. “We will strictly be niche players --- providing read-
DECEMBER 2009
East valley resident L. R. Straub reads an Independent newspaper.
ers and advertisers with the modest alternative of a local community newspaper. We believe there is room for both --- and we are delighted that we are able to respond to these communities, which have been urging us to return.” One big difference, McKeand said, is that his newspapers will not be published daily. The newly re-launched Independents in Chandler and Gilbert will be published weekly, like the sister papers in Apache Junction-Gold Canyon, Paradise Valley, Peoria, Mesa, Queen Creek-San Tan Valley, Scottsdale, Sun City, Sun City West and Surprise; the paper in Arrowhead Ranch will be published monthly, beginning Jan. 27, 2010.
Another big difference is that much of the content in the Independent is contributed by readers and volunteer contributors. “By necessity, our staffs are small and we couldn’t do what we do without the help of our readers. Their contributions convince us there is still a huge interest in newspapers, and especially in community newspapers. It also allows our staff journalists and freelancers to focus most of their attention on coverage of important local public issues.” The Independents, like many other smaller publications around the valley, are printed at Valley Newspapers in Deer Valley, which installed new state-of-the-art highcontinued on page 2
sAVe The dATe ANd mArk yOur cAleNdArs! ANA’S ANNUAL LEGISLATIVE LUNCHEON IS JAN. 21, 2010!