History of the Sierra Vista Herald

 

Ky Richards Jr. and his wife, Lois, started printing the Huachuca Herald on Fridays starting Oct. 7, 1955. They put out the first editions on a typewriter, composing stories on their kitchen table. They had come from Hawaii and Lois wore a muumuu while selling ads. She also was pregnant.

The couple decided to start printing the paper twice a week and did so starting Oct. 8, 1967. At that time, the newspaper hit the streets on Sundays and Wednesdays.

On May 22, 1968, the couple sold the newspaper to Sig H. Atkinson of Chandler and Milton Wick, founder of Wick Communications.

On Aug. 21, 1968, there was a new printing process installed called offset printing. It is still used across the world today. The Herald started publishing via offset with 3,000 subscribers in 1968.

By 1969, the community was big enough that the Herald could merge with the Douglas Daily Dispatch, forming the Sierra Vista Herald-Dispatch, a name many people who have lived here long enough still call us to this day.

Meanwhile, over in Bisbee, Bill Epler bought the Bisbee newspaper from Phelps Dodge in 1971 and changed it from a daily newspaper to a weekly. He sold the newspaper to the Wick family in 1974 and it was changed back to a daily on Oct. 4, 1976, when Walt Wick and Milton Wick were publishers of the Herald. At that time, they combined the Herald with the Bisbee Daily Review.

In 1976, the newspaper added The Associated Press wire service news, and then it began publishing five days a week: another sign of a community on the rise.

It was nearly five years later on Sunday, June 14, 1981, that a Sunday edition was added.

The Herald building has undergone a series of additions since the first office was built at 102 Fab Ave. in 1961. It was expanded by 1,800 square feet in 1968.

In 1975, a new pressroom and business offices were added, with the area of the building going from 4,907 square feet up to 8,400 square feet

In 1985, extra newsprint storage was needed, so an additional 1,862 square feet was added. Things were quiet for a while until 1996 when the front office/classified space was built in 1996.

In 2002, a brand-new pressroom facility was built, and it opened in 2003. The Hager Building at 400 Veterans Drive added 9,100 square feet to the newspaper’s still-growing facilities. Along with the new building came a new press with much more color capability and a higher printing speed.

In 2004, the Herald changed to a morning, seven-days-a-week newspaper.

The Herald celebrated its 50th anniversary on Oct. 7, 2005.

 

Contact Us

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The Sierra Vista Herald

102 Fab Ave

Sierra Vista, AZ. 85635

Phone: 520-458-9440

 

Editorial

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Publisher- Philip Vega

mail to: philip.vega@svherald.com

 

 

Managing Editor- Eric Petermann

mail to: eric.petermann@svherald.com

520-515-4610

 

 

Assistant GM, columnist- Pat Wick

mail to: pat.wick@wickcommunications.com

520-515-4604

 

Editor- Bethany Strunk

mail to: bethany.strunk@svherald.com

520-515-4620

 

Editor/Writer- Jacob Peterson

mail to: jacob.peterson@svherald.com

520-515-4621

 

Sports Editor- Matt Hickman

mail to: sports@svherald.com

515-520-4612

 

Copy Editor- Patrick Tuerff

mail to: pat.tuerff@svherald.com

520-515-4619

 

Features Editor- Janet LaValley

mail to: janet.lavalley@svherald.com

520-515-4616

 

Reporters 

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Sierra Vista City Government Reporter- Adam Curtis

mail to: adam.curtis@svherald.com

520-515-4683

  

Military Reporter- Bill Hess

mail to: bill.hess@svherald.com

520-515-4615

 

Police Reporter- Derek Jordan

mail to: derek.jordan@svherald.com

520-515-4680

 

Bisbee Reporter- Shar Porier

mail to: shar.porier@bisbeereview.net

520-515-4692

 

Reporter- Jonathon Shacat

mail to: jonathon.shacat@bisbeereview.net

520-515-4693

 

Photographers- Mark Levy, Beatrice Richardson and Melissa Marshall

mail to: photos@svherald.com

520-515-4681

 

Administrative

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Business Manager- Joan Hancock

mail to: joan.hancock@svherald.com

 

Administrative Assistant- Pamela McElroy

mail to: pamela.mcelroy@svherald.com

 

Information Technologies

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IT Manager/Webmaster- Don Judd

mail to: don.judd@svherald.com

520-515-4677

 

Advertising

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Sales Director - Becky Bjork

mail to: becky.bjork@svherald.com

520-515-4630

 

Classified Sales

mail to: classified@svherald.com

520-458-9440

 

Classified Manager - Nancy Bernard

mail to: nancy.bernard@svherald.com

520-515-4661

 

Production

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Production Director- Scott Green

mail to: scott.green@wickcommunications.com

520-515-4670

 

Production Foreman- Rhett Hartgrove

mail to: rhett.hartgrove@svherald.com

520-515-4671

 

Circulation Customer Service

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Didn’t receive your paper?

 

Call us before 10 a.m. and we will have one brought to you (in most delivery areas), or will credit your account.

520-458-9440

 

Going on vacation?

 

Call us with your start and stop dates (or use this form) and we will inform your carrier.

Please call before 2:00 p.m. Monday through Friday for "next day" vacation stops, and before 9:00 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

We offer three options to to arrange your vacation time:

• Ask us to extend your subscription for the days you are on vacation. 

• Ask us to donate your vacation days to Newspapers in Education, which provides newspapers for use in the classroom to schools throughout Cochise County. Your expiration date will not change.

• Ask for a "Vacation Pack" and your carrier will hold all of the papers while you are gone. Your subscription date will not change.

 

Contact Circulation

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Circulation- Ray Taylor

mail to: ray.taylor@svherald.com

520-515-4645

 

Subscription Information

520-458-9440

mail to: subscribe@svherald.com