Newspaper operations increase in growing Mat-Su Borough community

MAT-SU -- News organizations are expanding operations in response to the changing market here.

The Frontiersman added a Sunday edition to its lineup in 2002, and is on schedule with construction of a new production facility, bringing Frontiersman printing operations in house. The Anchorage Daily News is also expanding its operations in the Valley, adding a new distribution center and also adding news and sales staff to the Valley bureau.

Frontiersman's new press will represent a significant savings in printing costs, and the newspaper plans to roll a good deal of those savings back into operations, according to Frontiersman Publisher Kari Sleight.

While ADN has a different news focus than Frontiersman, Daily News President and Publisher Mike Sexton said it only makes sense to follow the growth.

"I think it's a fair assumption that, as the buildable land in the Anchorage Bowl dries up, the growth is going to be in the Valley," Sexton said. "That's where the people are moving, and [the Valley] represents 11 percent of my circulation -- that's a big part of the franchise, already."

As Alaska's sole statewide newspaper and the state's largest metro daily, ADN's total paid circulation is just over 66,000, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations.

That fact, coupled with a growth rate that has even exceeded predictions, makes the Valley a critical part of ADN's plans, according to Sexton.

"Projections tell us critical mass [for population in the Valley] is going toward 120,000 in 10 years or less," Sexton said. "It's a prime market to grow my franchise, and that's why we're going to try to fill a daily need out there."

The proximity of the Mat-Su to Anchorage also makes expansion more feasible, though Sexton said ADN still considers the Mat-Su as part of its statewide market, rather than part of its Anchorage market.

"[The Valley] is a very significant part of our statewide readership, similar to Eagle River," Sexton said.

The expansion of operations for both major newspapers in the Valley is a natural part of community growth, according to Sleight.

"Fast-paced growth in a community usually results in more business and industry relocating there, just as we are seeing in the Valley. Increased media presence, in all forms, is no exception," Sleight said.

The two newspapers are very close in circulation per edition, and each is working to improve circulation numbers to keep pace with population growth.

In fact, Frontiersman and ADN have each recently hired new circulation managers, and ADN's new Valley distribution center will make it easier for Valley carriers to do their job. Once the Frontiersman's new press is operational, delivery time will be reduced for that newspaper, as well. The new press will also improve the Frontiersman's news coverage."Operating our own press allows us to significantly extend our reporting deadlines, which results in fresher news delivered to our readers in each publication," Sleight said. That, along with increased coverage from the expanded reporting staff,Sleight said, will mean a better publication for Valley readers.

Sexton said ADN is also committed to improving customer service, and to increasing the amount of news coverage in this market. ADN has hired a new editor for the bureau, and is also expanding its bureau staff to at least six. The new editor is Joe Ditzler, who was most recently the city editor at the Albuquerque Journal's Santa Fe bureau.

Sexton was not specific about long- and short-range plans for Valley operations, but said a zoned edition of the ADN for the Valley market could be launched early in 2005. A zoned edition is a version of the main newspaper with information specifically targeted to a regional readership.

Frontiersman also plans expanded coverage in the ongoing effort to keep pace with growth.

"The Frontiersman will continue to grow along with the Mat-Su community," Sleight said, "just as it has since 1947. As the needs in the community increase, so will the production of its local newspaper."