Huerfano Journal Announces Purchase of Huerfano County WorldBack to News

WALSENBURG, CO, March 8, 2010 – Brian and Gretchen Orr, owners of the weekly Huerfano Journal, have purchased the Huerfano County World from Dale Bean. The Orrs have combined the two weekly newspapers into one, calling it the Huerfano World Journal. The transaction was finalized on February 25. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

Dirks, Van Essen & Murray, a newspaper merger-and-acquisition firm in Santa Fe, New Mexico, represented the Orr family in the transaction.

The Huerfano World, originally launched as the Walsenburg World in 1889, has undergone many name tweaks over the past century and a quarter, and putting the World and Journal together is a natural combination. The combined paper will have a weekly circulation of 2,500 copies in Huerfano County.

“We’re confident we’ll continue to produce the best and most complete news coverage for all of Huerfano County,” said owner and editor Gretchen Orr. “We have 22 writers scattered from Gardner to La Veta to Walsenburg, covering topics they each feel passionately about.”

Brian and Gretchen Orr have owned the Huerfano Journal since 2008. Prior to starting up the Journal, the Orrs published Western Spirit magazine – a tourism publication for southern Colorado and northern New Mexico – for nine years. Both have extensive reporting, design and editing experience for newspapers, magazines and the publishing industry.

If you have further questions contact Dirks, Van Essen & Murray at 505-820-2700, or visit our website at www.dirksvanessen.com.