BY ANGELA JOSSY for WEEKLY VOLCANO 05/02/25
You may have noticed something different about this issue of Weekly Volcano! This is the first weekly edition of the paper since I bought it in 2023. We had been printing monthly since October 2023 because that was the best strategy for bringing it back after three years of being gone. Since then, I’ve had many of what we’re going to call “learning experiences!”
After a series of trials and errors, I’ve learned many things that never occurred to me—despite my experience working in several newsrooms in Pierce County, such as The Puyallup Herald, Peninsula Gateway, The News Tribune, The Business Examiner, and, of course, Weekly Volcano, The Ranger, and The Airlifter.
I recently learned about something called a “newspaper of record,” which can be designated by city councils, county governments, local courts, or state agencies for the purpose of publishing official public notices. These notices are surprisingly lucrative for newspapers. Current law states that they must appear in printed publications that publish at least once per week. This law—and these notices—are keeping many small newspapers alive right now.
But in Tacoma, our newspaper of record is owned by a national corporation that has acquired more than 250 small newspapers across the U.S. and Canada. This means that all that public notice money is leaving our city at a time when we should be striving to invest more in our local economy.
Because I feel strongly about this—and because Weekly Volcano needs the support too—we’ve made the somewhat impulsive and risky decision to begin printing weekly. Our goal is that by 2026, we’ll meet the qualifications to apply to become one of Tacoma’s newspapers of record. (There’s no law that says we can only have one!)
It took some mental gymnastics to find a path forward in this economy, but if we print 2,000 papers per week instead of 8,000 per month, I think we can squeak by—especially if all of you support us in this mission. We currently deliver the paper to more than 400 locations, and I know people have their favorite spots to pick it up. Here’s what we’re doing: each week, we’ll deliver to 40 locations within Tacoma proper, and then rotate through the rest of our delivery areas on a four-week cycle. If that sounds confusing, here’s how I think of it:
Week 1: 40 Tacoma locations plus Lakewood, Steilacoom, and DuPont
Week 2: 40 Tacoma locations plus Ruston, Fircrest, University Place, and Gig Harbor
Week 3: 40 Tacoma locations plus more of Downtown Tacoma, East Side, Dome District, and South Tacoma
Week 4: 40 Tacoma locations plus Puyallup, Parkland, and Spanaway
We’ll also have fewer pages. This issue is a tight eight pages, and it’ll stay that way until we attract more sponsors and advertisers to help us provide even more coverage.
If this plan fails and we don’t receive enough support to keep printing weekly long enough to qualify for newspaper of record status, we’ll go digital until we do. But hopefully it won’t come to that. Everyone seems really excited about this mission, and it’s given us a new North Star to aim for.
We’re also adding more features to our website. Until now, the print issue was presented online as a magazine-style, page-flipping PDF. Now, each story will have its own page, allowing us to share individual articles on social media. If you go to Weekly-Volcano.com and click on Stories in the menu, you’ll see all the sections of the paper and can browse stories there. This additional traffic will also better serve our digital advertisers.
Please support the businesses that support what we’re building. This mission takes a village—and we’ll all benefit from a stronger local economy. Every dollar you spend locally is a dollar that won’t go to corporations buying influence from our government. We vote for the world we want not just during elections, but with every financial decision we make.
Weekly Volcano is also working with students from the University of Washington Tacoma on automations and an app that will give readers better access to local events in Tacoma and Pierce County. This is a project I’ve been trying to launch for more than two years, and I’m thrilled it’s finally underway. If all goes well, I’ll have more to share by summer!
Speaking of summer—Weekly Volcano has a long history of printing event programs for large events and festivals. Is it really a big event if it’s not in the Volcano? I never thought so, and I want to carry on that tradition. So please remind your favorite festival, conference, and event organizers to reach out ASAP to get on our summer schedule. Email Advertising@Weekly-Volcano.com to schedule a consultation.
We’re also looking for students who want to gain media experience and help us create short-form video content about local music, art, small businesses, and nonprofits. If you’d like to serve your community in this way, please email me at Angela.Jossy@Weekly-Volcano.com.
Lastly, we’re still accepting Growth Engine members at various levels. As a Citizen Sponsor, you’ll receive at least one issue of Weekly Volcano mailed to you each month and be invited to our members-only brunches. Visit our website to apply for membership.
Thank you again for reading and following along with us on this adventure!