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Dear Yaldez Folks
We've just been told that you Valdez people aren't able to do what the man in the picture above
is doing—that is, open your own newspaper once a week and read all your hometown news.
We're sorry to hear that Valdez is lacking a hometown paper of its own, for we feel that one way
to cement goodwill among your own business men and merchants, and to maintain friendly and co-op
erative relationships with your neighboring towns and cities, is through your hometown newspaper.
That's the reason for this ad, and for this sample copy of the Valley Frontiersman that you're hold
ing now. The thought has occurred to us that maybe the Valley Frontiersman can give you a hand,
until Valdez does again have its own hometown paper.
A number of residents of our Valley recently visited in Valdez, and they've told us much about
the wonderful visit they had in your town, and how much they enjoyed the new friends they met there.
We'd like to help more of our folks in the Valley to know your folks in Valdez a little better. We
think our towns ought to neighbor a little more-do a little more business with one another and each
of us help the other as we can.
Therefore, we have a plan that we'd like to talk over with the people of Valdez. We'd like
to turn over one page of the Valley Frontiersman to you in Valdez, to use for publication of Valdez
news and activities. We'd consider that page to be Valdez property and we'd see to it that everything
of Valdez interest was published there. We also think that many Matanuska Valley residents would
be interested in that news, and we believe that Valdez, in turn, would find much of interest in the other
pages of the Valley Frontiersman. The paper is published each Friday as an eight-page tabloid. It
contains one full page of sports, and seven pages of news.
Now of course, if our plan works out, we're going to be expecting to get something from Valdez,
too. We'd hope to include the names of a good many Valdez residents on our subscription list. Even
more important than that, we'd hope to be selling advertisements to Valdez merchants and business
men. No newspaper can exist for very long, without a good substantial backbone of advertising, and
we would need to sell enough advertising in Valdez to finance that page of Valdez news. It is possi
ble that the Valley Frontiersman may increase to a 10-page size, if interest in the plan is great enough.
In order that we may know what you think of this plan, we're sending a representative to Val
dez on the weekend of March 3 to discuss the matter with you. We sent this paper on ahead so that
you might read it, talk about it with your friends, and let us know how you feel about the matter.
Our representative, Viola Daniels, the editor of the Vatldy Frontiersman, will be at the Valdez
Hotel next weekend. Her time will be limited, but she expects to talk with most of the local business
men during her stay, and to employ a part-time reporter and advertising solicitor. She also will be
happy to add the names of Valdez residents to the Valley Frontiersman's mailing list. (Or you may
use the subscription blank printed in this issue, to forward your subscription to the Valley Frontiers
man.)
It is our sincere hope that Valdez will have a newspaper of its own in the not too distant future.
Until that time comes, we offer the columns of the Valley Frontiersman as a substitute for your home
town newspaper. We're sure we can be of help to merchants and townsfolk alike.
ANCHORAGE SHOPPING GUIDE
(Publishers of the Valley Frontiersman)