Residents of Lacombe and Blackfalds will find some fresh reading material on their doorsteps this Thursday.
That’s when the inaugural issue of the Lacombe Express will hit the two communities, with carriers delivering them directly to households there.
The newspaper will be published by Black Press, which also produces the Red Deer Advocate, the Red Deer Express and a half-dozen other community newspapers in Central Alberta.
Red Deer Express publisher Tracey Scheveers, who will also serve as publisher of the Lacombe Express, said the new paper will be modelled after its Red Deer namesake.
“It will have a very similar look and feel, only Blackfalds- and Lacombe-based.”
But, she added, the Lacombe Express will adopt its own personality, based on input and feedback from readers.
“What we’re really looking for is what the communities want to read; what the people of Lacombe and Blackfalds want to see covered in the paper.”
Staff will include editor Brian Vossen and advertising sales rep Davina James.
They will operate out of premises at 5019A 51st St. in downtown Lacombe.
Scheveers said it’s exciting and refreshing to launch a new paper.
“It should instill some confidence in people that the community newspaper is still viable.”
She added that Lacombe and Blackfalds are terrific markets to step into, with both communities enjoying rapid residential and commercial growth. They’re currently served by The Lacombe Globe, which is published by Sun Media Corp., but Scheveers thinks it’s valuable to offer residents a new perspective.
“Competition is a good thing.”
The Lacombe Express will be delivered every Thursday, with copies also available at high-traffic locations in Lacombe and Blackfalds. Its anticipated circulation is 7,400.
Scheveers said advertising discounts are available to those who place their message in multiple newspapers within the Black Press chain. The Lacombe Express’s sister papers in Central Alberta include the Ponoka News, The Stettler Independent and the Sylvan Lake News.
The Lacombe Express can be reached by phone at 403-782-5303.
hrichards@www.reddeeradvocate.com