Mon Valley Independent celebrating 10th anniversary

A decade after opening, the Mon Valley Independent will mark the occasion with a special celebration on Saturday.

By STACY WOLFORD
Managing Editor
swolford@yourmvi.com

A decade ago, the Mon Valley Independent rose from the ashes of newspaper graveyards around the country and published its first edition on May 2, 2016.

It was a feat that many thought couldn’t be accomplished, especially during a time when newspapers were folding across the United States.

The once-shuttered daily newspaper has managed to survive the shifting tide of newspapers in today’s tough economy, along with a pandemic and many other obstacles along the way.

More than 3,000 print editions later, the Mon Valley Independent is proud to announce the community newspaper will mark its 10th anniversary on May 2. A sold-out banquet will be held Saturday at the St. Spyridon Hellenic Center in Monessen to celebrate the milestone.

The MVI published its first edition as a newly independent newspaper following the closure of its predecessor, The Valley Independent, which ceased operations after 113 years on Dec. 31, 2015.

Knowing the importance of a community newspaper in their hometowns, four businessmen, Keith Bassi, Joseph Dalfonso, Moe Galis and Nazareth Victoria, created Mid Mon Valley Publishing Co., and acquired the archives, subscriber and advertiser lists of the Valley Independent from the former publisher Trib Total Media.

Fast forward 10 years, and the group is proud to say the newspaper continues to forge forward, as the company remains steadfast on its mission from Day 1: To provide the best local news and sports coverage to the Valley, its residents and business owners.

The MVI prints a daily newspaper Tuesday through Saturday, and also offers an electronic edition Monday through Saturday, which includes an expanded section featuring news, sports and features. The paper has also expanded its coverage over the years and now covers the communities within the Mid-Mon Valley and the Mon Yough area, including the City of McKeesport, as well as adding West Mifflin most recently.

Like many small, independent businesses, the MVI weathered the COVID-19 pandemic and endured some challenging times over the years.

Circulation/Advertising Director Loreli Byron helped navigate the newspaper through these tough economic times by offering support to fellow local businesses during the pandemic.

“I am most proud of the support we gave our advertisers during COVID,” Byron said as she reflects over the last decade. “This was a difficult time for our local businesses. We supported them by offering our ad space at little or no cost or by running additional times until they were able to stand on their own two feet again.”

Byron was also instrumental in converting from traditional motor route delivery to daily postal delivery.

MVI subscribers now get their dose of daily local news delivered right to their mailbox. The newspaper also improved its social media presence and developed apps for the Apple and Google app stores so readers can enjoy their local paper in whichever form they prefer.

Like many newspapers, it’s a constant challenge competing with social media and other platforms.

“Social media has been the biggest challenge. It is difficult to reach readers that think they are getting important information from their media platforms,” Byron said. “What they don’t realize is that our stories are true and factual. Not just random thoughts and opinions thrown out for everyone to see. Our advertisers reach over 15,000 readers each day. These are readers that are actually looking for the local business ads and support our local businesses.”

Victoria added it was a challenge “convincing the general public and businesses the importance of buying subscriptions and advertising to support this essential community service.”

Galis said reopening the paper after it had been shuttered for four months was also a tough obstacle.

“Competing against social media and their theft of our products (local vetted news) everyday, makes obtaining new readership quite challenging,” Galis said. “It’s tough to compete against a competitor who claims it can legally steal your product (news) and show it to the world and they don’t have to vet what they show/print. In my opinion the whole ‘get your news from social media thing’ is just one big giant opinion page.”

While several original staff members (and some from the former Valley Independent) continue to work at the newspaper, finding new staff is also a hurdle.

“The biggest challenge over the last decade has been finding young talent for positions we have available on our staff,” Bassi said. “We have a constant need for advertising reps, reporters and digital-savvy people who can help us reimagine the presentation of hyper-local relevant news to the communities we serve.”

Bassi added he is proud that the company was able to provide jobs for the Valley Independent’s staff “when their livelihood was at stake so they could provide trustworthy and accurate information to our readers through ads and stories that would not be available to them otherwise.”

Dalfonso credited the support of the community and dedicated staff for the newspaper’s success.

“This milestone would not have been possible without the support of our readers, subscribers and advertisers. It is also a direct reflection of our outstanding team — our editors, reporters, advertising representatives and office staff — whose professionalism, dedication and commitment to quality journalism drive everything we do,” Dalfonso said. “We are proud of what we’ve built and look forward to serving our communities for many years to come.”

MVI Managing Editor Stacy Wolford said reaching the 10-year milestone has “meant the world to us.”

“We could not have done it without the continuing support of the Mon Valley community, whom we try to serve the best we can by providing high-quality journalism every day,” said Wolford, who started her journalism career 30 years ago as a reporter at the Valley Independent.

“Ten years later we are proud to still be the only local newspaper that gives you coverage of what is happening at your council and school board meetings. We are a watchdog over the actions of government agencies and elected officials. We are there to hold local officials accountable,” added Wolford. “As a local newspaper, we play an important, irreplaceable role in our communities. We cover high school and community sports. We keep track of events at schools and weekend gatherings that are what make our communities great.

“We strive to provide as much local news and sports as we can each day and are constantly working to improve and do better than we did the day before. We appreciate our readers and advertisers for their continued support over the years and we look forward to being their neighbor and trusted news source for many more years to come.”

With an eye toward the future, the MVI hopes it will be around for the next generation.

“I hope we continue to grow and be the voice of the Mon Valley for many years to come. This industry has changed so much over the years, and I am grateful to have been a part of it and welcome the changes that are sure to come,” Byron said.

Victoria said his hope for the future is to continue to provide a way for the public to access local news, sports and happenings.

“I’d like to see the paper refine all of the mediums for our readers to get the news how they want to read it,” Victoria said. “Additionally, I would like to host more community events promoting the Mon Valley.”

Galis added, “The fact that 10 years later we’re still standing and producing fair and honest, mostly local journalism, six days a week and we are impacting lives and benefiting entire communities — I think that is amazing!”