ALAMOSA — The Valley Courier and San Luis Valley Journal today announced they are combining operations to create a single newspaper with stories from all 6 counties, including some stories we haven't covered outside of Alamosa before. 

Combining the two newspapers makes it possible for us to do that as we take the money we're saving and invest it where it should always really go: keeping that century old relationship between the newspapers and the readers alive and engaging while covering more of the community with stories that people really want to read.  

This newspaper will reflect what the San Luis Valley has always been - not six totally different counties who have nothing to do with each other, but an entire valley made up of six different, yes, but connected counties. 

The new publication experiment begins April 29 and will adopt a community-size format, a design shift driven by reader preference. Research shows 83% of U.S. readers prefer a community-size publication over a traditional page size. This change also allows for an expanded availability of color pages. 

"This is a great opportunity for our communities to have one large publication to serve our expanded areas," said Publisher Brian Williams. “We are focusing on engagement with our readers and communities as a top priority, and this move gives us the strongest go-to-market strategy. We are listening to how our communities and readers respond to this new project.” 

The publication will expand its news coverage and staff writers, establishing new partnerships with Adams State University and various community groups.  

The production schedule will transition to daily engagement with readers, including a free weekend sports review newsletter on Mondays for all subscribers and community members coming this Fall. The main print and digital edition will be published on Wednesdays, followed by a full e-edition on Fridays, which will be updated throughout the week. 

Lyndsie Ferrell will take on the role of Digital Editor for the group. Ferrell “brings a lot of experience and a deep love for these communities as we focus on enhanced engagement.”  

In a leadership change, John Waters moves back into the editor's chair as both Editor and Engagement Director for all markets. 

"I am excited to return to editing and expanding our community engagement,” Waters said. “I will again be covering Alamosa County Commissioners' meetings and the San Luis Valley County Commissioners' Association meetings. We will continue our coverage of these types of public meetings throughout the Valley.” 

The Valley Courier will also introduce regional magazines tailored to Agriculture, Faith and Family, and will utilize new exclusive mobile targeting technology to deliver tourist-focused content both inside and outside of Colorado. 

"This gives us daily engagement with our audience, rather than space between editions," said Publisher Brian Williams, who will now focus on business growth and expansion programs. "It will be a lot more work, but our dedicated staff is all about growth." 

About The Valley Courier and San Luis Valley Journal 

The combined regional publication is committed to reinvesting resources from non-engaging costs such as equipment and buildings directly back into news coverage and community connection. A newspaper is more than paper and printing, and a reinvestment of the massive newsprint, postage, and production costs will feed back into the Courier’s main goal of community coverage. The move is designed to sustain growth in the publishing industry by prioritizing reader engagement and expanding both print and digital offerings.