Journal publisher announces changes

Leaders of the Albuquerque Publishing and Journal Publishing companies announced a series of changes during an Economic Forum of Albuquerque online meeting Wednesday, including an upcoming premium subscription and a partnership with a local technology company, designed to keep the state’s largest newspaper successful and relevant in a dynamic media environment.

While Albuquerque Publishing Co., which publishes the Journal and three other newspapers in Central New Mexico, faces the same systemic challenges affecting much of the print journalism world — including declining advertising revenues and struggles attracting younger readers — president and publisher Bill Lang said the company has streamlined its operations to deliver local news more efficiently.

“If you look at community newspapers around the country, they’re actually doing pretty well,” Lang said.

The company opted to merge its printing operations with the Santa Fe New Mexican’s last year, a move Lang said consolidated resources and saved the company money.

And as it became more and more expensive to deliver papers to farflung parts of New Mexico, the company worked to convert rural customers to digital subscribers, in some cases including an iPad as part of their subscription. Lang said 70% of print customers in Roswell converted to digital subscribers in 2020.

“The reality is ... it’s much more cost-effective for us,” he said.

Debbie Johnson, executive marketing director at Albuquerque Publishing, said 2020 proved to be a strong year for the Journal’s online operations. Before the COVID-19 pandemic reached New Mexico, Johnson said the Journal averaged about 3 million page views per month. Today, that figure has tripled to 9 million.

“Our audience is actually larger than it ever has been before,” Johnson said.

To build on that momentum, Johnson announced a partnership with RS21, an Albuquerque-based data analytics firm, that she said will help the publishing company use its data more effectively.

Additionally, Johnson said the company is planning to debut an overhauled website in the coming weeks.

Karen Moses, editor and senior vice president of Journal Publishing Co., said the company is also preparing to roll out a new premium subscription program, called the On First Club, that will provide readers with additional perks and give them a platform to support the Journal’s local journalism.

She said the Journal newsroom not only covers major breaking news, but also provides important explanatory and solutions-based stories to its readers.

“We care about New Mexico, we care about our home, and we care about ... what we can do to make a difference,” Moses said.