On Sept. 9, 1988, Larson Newspapers added a third newspaper to its coverage of the Verde Valley, joining the Sedona Red Rock News and The Camp Verde Journal as a new publication informing Verde Valley residents of all the news in this region of Northern Arizona.
Thirty years later, the Cottonwood Journal Extra is still going strong, providing Verde Valley readers with news about Cottonwood, Clarkdale, Jerome, Cornville and the Verde Villages.
Much has changed in the Verde Valley in the past three decades, but our commitment to local journalism has not. We do not cover state and national news, but rather focus every week on informing readers of the stories that affect their lives, all around them in their own communities.
“It has been a wonderful 30 years serving the upper Verde Valley, and we look forward to many more years,” said Bob Larson, publisher of the EXTRA.
From town and city councils to school boards, local businesses to local sports teams, we make a pledge to be there when things happen, and to give details that can only be found through rigorous reporting. We hope to give voices to Verde Valley residents that feel unheard, and dig beneath the surface of the happenings in the community.
As a hometown paper, we benefit from knowing our readers personally. We know that our sources and our audience are one and the same, and that they are also our friends, neighbors, and above all, our teammates in an effort to make the Verde Valley a great place to live.
We take our readers’ trust seriously, because we know that in a small town, a mistake is remembered. We know that the town relies on us, and we know that building and maintaining trust is a challenge we must rise to in every issue.
“As the largest newspaper in the Verde Valley, readers clearly trust the EXTRA to provide integrity in our all news stories,” Managing Editor Christopher Fox Graham said. “Some readers may not like everything we write, but they trust that we are always honest about what’s going on in our community. In the end, trust is a newspaper’s only real currency.”
Since 1988, the EXTRA has risen to more than 8,000 papers serving more than 20,000 readers weekly, plus our ever-growing online and social media audience. Since March 6, 1996, the paper has been free to any who wants to know the happenings around town.
“I’m very thankful for the opportunity to serve the Verde Valley, and to improve upon our products and grow our readership base for another 30 years,” General Manager Kyle Larson said. “Whether it is in print or digital, we cover the Verde Valley like nobody else.”
Times may change in Arizona, and the staff of the Extra surely has over the years. But the mission of the paper, outlined by the Larsons, never will: To get the newspaper in everyone’s hands and to bring readers the best and latest news coverage and interesting features about people and places that are part of the neighborhood.
The Extra continues to find its home at 830 S. Main St., Cottonwood, and welcomes all visitors, whether you have a tip on an interesting story, an ad you would like to post, a press release or letter to the editor you want printed, or just want to say hi. Call us at 634-8551, or email us at jhecht@ larsonnewspapers.com.
Jon Hecht can be reached at 634-8551, or email jhecht@larsonnewspapers.com
