Ahwatukee Foothills News
| Type | Twice-weekly newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner(s) |
headquarters = 10631 South 51st Street Suite #1 Phoenix, AZ 85044 United States |
| Publisher | Renie Scibona |
| Editor | Brian Johnson |
| Founded | 1976 |
| Website | ahwatukee.com |
The Ahwatukee Foothills News is a twice-weekly paper serving the Ahwatukee district of the city of Phoenix. It has a circulation of 28,000. First published as the Ahwatukee Sentinel in 1976, its name was changed to the Ahwatukee News in 1978. In 1988 it once again changed its name, this time to the Ahwatukee Weekly News. The current incarnation is the Ahwatukee Foothills News.[1] Its education and sports coverage mainly revolves around the two high schools serving the district: Mountain Pointe High School and Desert Vista High School (both part of the Tempe Union High School District).
The newspaper was owned by Freedom Communications, who sold it to 10/13 Communications in 2010.[2]
In late January 2016, Scottsdale-based Times Media Group acquired the East Valley Tribune and Ahwatukee Foothills News from 10/13 Communications and immediately assumed day-to-day operations; 10/13's other Arizona community newspapers were not included in the sale. [3]
Occasionally, the paper is referred to by its initials, the AFN.
Staff
Editor & Publisher
Mike Miller - Publisher
Kelly Mixer - Managing Editor
Becky Kedzierski - Office Manager
News Staff
Emily Whitmore - Design and Website Editor
James Gingerich - Staff Writer
Jason P. Skoda - Sports Writer
Beverly Stidham - Calendar Editor, Editorial Assistant
Awards
The paper as a whole took home five awards from the 2008 Arizona Newspapers Association Better Newspapers contest.[4] Being judged in Division 3 (Non-Daily circulation greater than 10,000), the AFN took home first place for Departmental News & Copywriting Excellence, and four third-place awards: General Excellence; Best Use of Photography; Community Service/Journalistic Achievement; and Special Section, Newspaper Supplement or Magazine.
Individually, there was one winner: Former sports reporter Ryan Casey won three awards: Best Team, Sport or Sports Beat Coverage (1st place, Desert Vista); Best Sports Story (2nd place, Desert Vista football); and Best Lifestyle Feature Story (3rd place, "A Long Road Back").
(Note: Its sister paper, the Maricopa Tribune also had an individual winner, Brett Fera, in Best Sports Story (1st place) in the Non-Daily circulation under 3,500 category.)
Five current and former staffers won awards at the 2007 Arizona Press Club banquet: Brant Clinard, a photographer, won seven awards, including two first places; Jason Ludwig took home first- and third-place awards for reporting; U. Frank Williams, the former photo editor, took home a second place award; Brett Fera, sports editor, won first place for sports reporting; and Ryan Casey, former staff writer, won second- and third-place awards for sports reporting.[5] Only Fera currently remains with the paper, heading its sports department.
Projects
The paper celebrated its 30th year starting in early 2008. Since then, it has been running stories commemorating the anniversary.[6] Another recent project has been a series on transportation, with four stories to date.[7]
Online
The online product, which refers to itself as "ahwatukee.com," now publishes daily updates, between three and six videos a week, and also features staff blogs. Its biggest update days are Monday and Thursday, when all the content from each of the two papers that week has been created and edited.
The staff has also made forays into social mediums, such as Twitter and Facebook.
External links
References
- ↑ "Ahwatukee Foothills News". Archived from the original on May 29, 2006. Retrieved June 4, 2006.
- ↑ Ducey, Lynn (2006-02-16). "Freedom finalizes deal for sale of East Valley Tribune". Phoenix Business Journal. Retrieved 2010-07-18.
- ↑ Sunnucks, Mike (January 27, 2016). "Scottsdale publisher buying East Valley Tribune, Ahwatukee Foothills News". Phoenix Business Journal. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
- ↑ "Arizona Newspaper Association". Retrieved November 6, 2008.
- ↑ "Ahwatukee Foothills News". Retrieved July 8, 2008.
- ↑ "Ahwatukee Foothills News". Archived from the original on August 4, 2008. Retrieved July 8, 2008.
- ↑ "Ahwatukee Foothills News". Archived from the original on July 16, 2008. Retrieved July 8, 2008.
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