Changes coming to the BVD next week

Next week you will see a change in the Blackfoot Valley Dispatch.

Seven years ago, we made the jump from a newsletter format on office paper to a tall tabloid on newsprint, returning the BVD to standard newspaper format. This issue of the BVD will be the last to be printed at River's Edge printing in Great Falls.

Next week we'll transition to a new printer, with the Livingston Enterprise, as well as to a larger format, as a traditional, full-size broadsheet.

While we had been planning to revamp the BVD's design, the announcement that River's Edge would be closing prompted us to consider different format options. While many papers are sticking with a narrower format, Darryl Flowers, publisher of the Fairfield Sun Times, suggested making the jump to a full broadsheet. The new format should provide us more flexibility and ease in design, and give Lincoln a great looking, full size local newspaper. The format will bring back to Lincoln a newspaper size last seen here in the 1990's, when it was adopted by former publishers Todd and Carol Lingard for several years.

With pages that are about 1.6 times larger than our current format, we will be printing fewer pages overall, with the same amount of content.

Next week's issue will be printed by the Livingston Enterprise, which has a proven track record for the quality of their printing.

The change in format and printers will necessitate some changes. The newspaper will have to be at the printer Monday night. As a result, our advertising and content deadlines will move back, from Mondays to Fridays at noon.

The BVD will be printed first thing Tuesday and be shipped from Livingston to Lincoln. Barring any unexpected delays, it will get here on Wednesdays for distribution, although that may happen later in the day than it does now.

Thanks for sticking with us as we work to provide Lincoln with the best newspaper we can.