North Forty News grows with second newspaper

By JoAn Bjarko
Publisher

April will mark the 12th anniversary of the North Forty News and the birth of a sister newspaper, the Fossil Creek Current.

The new paper, which will be delivered by direct mail to a different set of readers, will include Fort Collins, Timnath and Larimer County news, along with the regular special sections found in the North Forty News - gardening and landscaping, equine, senior spotlight and hearth and home, to name a few.

The Fossil Creek Current, with a circulation of 17,000, will be delivered to homes and businesses from south Fort Collins to the north edge of Loveland. Timnath residents, who have been getting the North Forty News, will receive the new paper in their mailboxes instead.

By crafting a separate paper for south Fort Collins, the publishers will maintain the existing community focus of the North Forty News. "The people of Wellington, Waverly, north Fort Collins, LaPorte, Bellvue, Livermore, Red Feather Lakes and Stove Prairie will continue to be the priority for the North Forty News," they said.

According to publisher Mike Bjarko, advertisers will benefit by having a choice of two distinct audiences and by having the opportunity to deliver their message to 39,000 different addresses through the combined circulation of both papers.

To accommodate the new paper, two additional employees were added to the staff of the North Forty News and Fossil Creek Current.

Dan MacArthur brings a career journalist's insight and experience to the newspapers. He will continue to focus on coverage of Timnath and Larimer County government, as he has since joining the newspaper as a correspondent two years ago. The former managing editor of the Fort Collins Triangle Review weekly newspaper, he has worked at daily and weekly newspapers across Colorado for 20 years and won numerous state and regional reporting awards.

MacArthur joins the news team of staff writer Cherry Sokoloski and editor JoAn Bjarko, along with several regional correspondents for the North Forty News.

Advertising representative Kyle Yates will work with businesses in the south Fort Collins, Windsor and Loveland areas. He joins the ad sales team of Nedra Kechter, who works with businesses in west Fort Collins and northwest Larimer County, and Carl George, who works with businesses in east Fort Collins, Wellington and Greeley. Graphic designer Kim Jordan assists the trio in putting marketing messages into print.

The first issue of the North Forty News had a circulation of 2,000. It has since grown to 22,000 and will continue to grow with northern Larimer County.

"The strength of free direct mail community newspapers is that all new residents get a paper as soon as they settle into their homes, which gives them an immediate connection to what's happening in the area," the publishers said. "The challenge is to make sure it's worth reading. That's why we put a strong emphasis on news writing."