Ballantine Communications merges Farmington Daily Times, Tri-City Record (2024)

New Tri-City Record strengthens newspaper legacy that began in 1890

Dear Daily Times Readers,

Welcome to the new Tri-City Record!

Ballantine Communications Inc. has purchased The Daily Times, and effective today, it has merged the two local newspapers, strengthening a legacy of community journalism in San Juan County that began in 1890.

The union of these two great newspapers advances Ballantine Communications' mission to provide relevant information, build knowledge and support economic vitality in the communities it serves.

The Daily Times has a long and storied history in northwestern New Mexico.

The newspaper began as the Junction City Times in 1890, changed its name to the San Juan Times in early 1891, and then to the Farmington Times in 1900. In 1903, the Farmington Times merged with another local newspaper, the Farmington Hustler, becoming the Farmington Times-Hustler. Published as a weekly, it became Farmington’s first daily newspaper in 1949, and Lincoln O’Brien, the paper’s owner, renamed it the Farmington Daily Times. Since then the newspaper has changed ownership several times, and its name was shortened to just The Daily Times in 1970. It was purchased by Gannett Co. Inc. in 2015. Gannett is the largest newspaper publisher in the U.S. and operates more than 100 daily and nearly 1,000 weekly titles.

The transaction between Gannett and Ballantine Communications has been exceedingly cordial, as both news organizations pursue similar missions. Ballantine Communications is grateful for the Gannett’s efforts and assistance to return the newspaper to local ownership and management.

The Daily Times’ legacy will now continue in the Tri-City Record.

Although the Tri-City Record is only a year old, it has become an important resource for information and accountability across San Juan County. Its office is in the center of historic Farmington on Main Street, and the newsroom and staff are local to Farmington, Aztec, Bloomfield, Kirtland and the Navajo Nation. The newspaper’s assertive newsroom has gained recognition across the U.S., and its journalism has been picked up by leading national outlets including The Washington Post and The Associated Press.

The Tri-City Record’s inception began with the vision of the governing board of Ballantine Communications and the Ballantine family, and launched under the leadership of David Cook, a newspaper owner and special consultant. Veteran journalist and senior editor Trent Stephens developed the newsroom and local editorial operations, earning respect in the community and generating a newspaper readership of 6,250 per issue and a digital audience averaging more than 70,000 unique users per month. The plucky startup also has benefited greatly from editorial, administrative and marketing support from employees at Ballantine Communications’ other newspapers, The Durango Herald and The Journal.

A year of publishing the Tri-City Record has given Ballantine Communications a greater appreciation of the breadth and quality of the news and issues that are important to the residents of San Juan County.

The Daily Times adds resources to the Tri-City Record that will enable the newsroom to increase its reporting bandwidth and reach a wider audience across San Juan County. It also connects the Ballantine Communications’ news coverage areas of San Juan County, New Mexico, with Montezuma and La Plata counties in Southwest Colorado, creating a stronger news network that serves an aggregated audience that includes more than 4 milllion digital events per month, 500,000 monthly unique digital readers, 35,000 newspaper readers per issue, 115,000 Facebook followers and 500,000 readers supporting 20 magazines serving regional tourism and recreation, health and wellness, food and dining and real estate.

The acquisition allows Ballantine Communications to invest in strengthening its coverage throughout Northwest New Mexico with new resources and increased collaboration with The Journal’s and Durango Herald’s award-winning news teams. Together the organization will serve a “diverse area with a strong common interest and future,” said Richard Ballantine, Ballantine Communication’s board chairman.

Ballantine Communications is not new to San Juan County, as it has published the local phone directory since 1984, and has operated an active news bureau in Farmington since 2019.

Today, the Tri-City Record will become the successor publication to The Daily Times. The news, features and advertising have been merged into one great newspaper. Although the name of The Daily Times has changed to the Tri-City Record, the newspaper will remain the publication of record in San Juan County, continuing the legacy that began in the late 1800s.

The six-day frequency of The Daily Times will now conform to that of the Tri-City Record, which publishes print editions every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. It will continue to publish local content online seven days a week, and will open its paywall through July 1 to give new readers free access to our news.

Active subscriptions to The Daily Times will be converted to the Tri-City Record. We will extend the subscriptions to accommodate the frequency change. In most cases, the price will be reduced to match the lower rates of the Tri-City Record. Please see the “Frequently Asked Questions” article that our staff created for new readers on Page 19A. Readers who have questions that aren’t addressed in this “FAQ,” may call or email our friendly staff. Our top priority is serving and retaining our readers.

The success of this endeavor depends on your readership, and the Tri-City Record staff is committed to producing comprehensive quality news and features that will give you every reason to support our newspaper with your subscriptions and engagement.

Thank you for your support,

John Blais, Publisher