Adapting to Change and Surviving Digital Shifts
GRANTS, N.M. Sylvia Anzures Gonzales, the general manager of the Cibola Citizen, did not initially seek out a career in print media.
Over 31 years ago, in April 1995, she was simply a single mother of three children who needed a steady, full-time job. She stepped into the industry as a receptionist, answering phones and directing customers to the right departments. It was a role she held for about six years until an opportunity opened up for an advertising sales representative.
Deciding to try her hand at sales, she discovered not only a talent for it, but a deep enjoyment for connecting with “area businesses and beyond” to fund the Beacon.
Throughout her tenure, the media landscape transformed drastically.
Anzures Gonzales first felt the impact of these changes with the rise of social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. While these platforms allow businesses to advertise for free—a luxury a paid, physical print publication cannot match because printing and employees cost money— she adapted by working closely with clients to offer the best possible pricing to draw people in. Anzures Gonzales notes “not everybody has social media, pointing out that many people avoid it because they “don’t like all the drama that social media brings out.”
Her resilience was tested further during monumental shifts. Editor Diego Lopez noted that Anzures Gonzales navigated the newspaper through the election of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, the COVID-19 pandemic, and presidential changes, and “the closure of the Gallup Independent and consolidation of New Mexico’s printers to only 2 with their closure.”
When the position for managing editor became available Anzures Gonzales stepped up to take over as General Manager. Lopez remembers getting the phone call that their managing editor had lost his job. “We didn’t know everything we needed to know,” Lopez explained, “but she learned her side, I learned my side and together we created a powerhouse of a newspaper that is now an award winning publication. That wouldn’t be possible without Sylvia.”
Lopez recalls that when he first met her, she was the advertising manager and “‘can sell sap to a tree’ and I’ve seen it happen,” Lopez said, calling her the “advertising lifeblood” that makes all of his reporting and storytelling possible.
Today, the entire operation relies on a remarkably small crew of just two and a half people: Anzures Gonzales, the general manager and ad sales representative; Lopez, the editor; and Amerika Rougemont, a part-time reporter. Though Anzures Gonzales has proven she can lead much larger teams— having previously managed a staff of four advertising sales reps and six reporters—this small group currently produces a weekly paper that runs 12-16 pages. “That's two and a half people putting in the paper weekly,” Anzures Gonzales said.
It is a grueling schedule, especially because local journalism does not pay for itself through twodollar single-issue sales or news content alone. It is funded entirely by the local business community. Anzures Gonzales emphasizes that “without the advertisers that we have in our newspaper… there would be no newspaper.”
Despite facing community negativity and anger when printing painful truths, Anzures Gonzales maintains that honesty is vital. “When the truth comes out, the truth hurts,” she says, “but we want to be able to maintain a positive outlook of the newspaper and put out what the community needs to see.” For her, print media remains an essential cornerstone of small counties, saying, “I would rather have something tangible with the truth and facts… in my hands to be able to read.” She believes that larger city newspapers have been hit much harder by digital shifts, whereas small-town papers will continue to survive if they focus on delivering facts.
Though Anzures Gonzales is now eligible for retirement, she hopes to keep the publication thriving well into the future. The team remains dedicated to ensuring the Cibola Citizen stays relevant, positive, and focused on moving its community forward. Anzures Gonzales said, "Again, thank you to all the community and the readership that we have."