URL: https://www.indianz.com/News/archives/000911.asp

Tuesday, August 19, 2003

New Mexico will see the launch of two independent Indian newspapers in the coming months, both aimed at tapping one of the nation's largest Native American populations.

The New Mexico edition of The Native American Times, published in Oklahoma, debuts first in September. It will be followed by the Pueblo Journal, a new version of Tim Giago's Lakota Journal of South Dakota.

Julian Spalding, a member of the Osage Nation of Oklahoma, says The New Mexico Native Times will meet the needs of an underserved market. To be published twice a month, he promises news not just about New Mexico's tribes but the state's growing urban Indian population.

"There is no Native newspaper serving this population at this time. The timing is right," he said in an interview. "The local edition will be strictly New Mexico news and features. We want this to be relevant to the local population."

New Mexico is home to 19 Pueblos, two Apache tribes and parts of the Navajo Nation, the largest tribe in the country. More than 170,000 American Indians and Alaska Natives live in the state, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Despite the large numbers -- the state has the second highest percentage, 9.5 percent, of Native Americans in the country -- there is no Indian-geared print media in the state. Some tribes publish small newspapers but they have a limited reach. The Navajo Times, owned by the Navajo Nation, is by far the largest but is tribe-specific.

The two new papers will jump into largely uncharted waters but are backed with years of experience. The husband and wife team of Jim and Elizabeth Gray has been publishing The Native American Times, formerly The Oklahoma Indian Times, since 1995.

Giago is the former owner and publisher of Indian Country Today, which was sold to the Oneida Nation of New York in 1998. He started the Lakota Journal in 2000 because he felt ICT lost its focus on tribes in the Plains.

Spalding called his new venture "a good fit" because he already publishes Albuquerque Arts Magazine, a monthly. The fact that he is Osage also helps, he admits. Jim Gray co-managed The Native American Times until last summer when he was elected chief of the Osage Nation. Elizabeth Gray is of Cherokee descent.

Spalding plans an initial run of 5,000 for the paper, which will be published on the 1st and 15th of each month. He doesn't sense any competition with Giago, who plans to serve the Pueblo population.

"We will be covering all or most of the news that's important to the people of the 19 Pueblos," Giago said in a statement.

The New Mexico edition will be distributed with The Native American Times, which has a national focus. Its web site, www.NativetimesNM.com will go online next month.

Spalding and Elizabeth Gray will co-own Native Times New Mexico, Inc., the corporation that will publish the New Mexico edition.

Relevant Links:
Native American Times - http://www.nativetimes.com
Lakota Journal - http://www.lakotajournal.com

Related Stories:
Giago to start new paper 'Pueblo Journal' in N.M. (07/29)

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