Next edition for Park Record publisher is retirement
Valerie Spung stepped through The Park Record doors in 1998 to run the ad department. In October 2022 she was promoted to publisher.
Now, after 26 years, she feels the time is right to retire from one of the nation’s oldest community newspapers, and much of that comes from confidence in the publication’s owners, Tatiana and Matthew Prince, Park City residents who purchased the paper a year ago.
“I’m delighted and relieved The Park Record is under local ownership,” she said. “They are committed to local journalism and have been supportive in rebuilding our editorial team.”
Tatiana Prince not only enjoyed working with Spung this past year, but also appreciated her dedication to the newpaper.
“Val has been a foundational member of The Park Record,” Prince said. “She told us she was planning to retire a year ago when we bought the paper but was kind enough to stay around and help us with the transition. We couldn’t have done it without her. She will always be a part of The Park Record family. I hope she has a wonderful time exploring the world in her retirement.”
Spung, who took on the publisher role when her predecessor, Andy Bernhard, retired after helming The Park Record for 35 years, is grateful for the Princes’ support.
“They’ve been an absolute delight to work with,” she said. “They listen. They observe and they are financially supportive. And all of those things are how we were able to grow the newspaper size and grow the pool of reporters we have on staff.”
In addition to making it possible to distribute The Park Record free of charge, the Princes worked with Spung on re-establishing The Park Record Regional Spelling Bee in February after four years.
“We also have other things that are coming along the way,” Spung said.
Spung’s career has always been in the news-gathering industry.
“I started at Seattle Times and then went to The Denver Post,” she said. “I was also part of the ABC magazine division.”
Spung arrived in Park City in 1998 and helped The Park Record ad department get ready for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.
“Here I still am,” she said with a laugh.
Bernhard, who hired Spung, showed her how much he was committed to the newspaper’s staff, and she will miss her coworkers after she retires, she said.
“The editorial team is so committed, and they work hard and want to get things right,” she said. “They have to make some hard calls sometimes, but that’s why The Park Record is still here. We’re still well read, and that’s something that I’m very proud of.”
Spung is also aware of The Park Record’s role in the community.
“Social media usually tells one side of the story, and that’s why local journalism is so important,” she said. “We are needed to tell both sides of the story. While the world has changed, it also stays the same. People want information about where they live and play. They want it to be reliable, informational, interesting and current. We check all the boxes.”
While Spung appreciates her editorial staff, she also will miss the ad department representatives, production team, circulation manager and others who bring the newspaper into the community.
“I work with great and creative people who are committed to excellence,” she said. “They are smart and they know their jobs.”
In addition, Spung will miss working with the local businesses and organizations that have not only advertised in The Park Record but have also collaborated on various projects.
“These people who work and lead these great companies and nonprofits have become friends over the years,” she said.
In addition to revitalizing the Spelling Bee this year, The Park Record has added 22 magazines and created the “Park City’s Best” event that collaborates with the “Park City’s Best” magazine during Spung’s tenure.
“These are things that I’m very proud of,” she said. “We have a big footprint in this community, and I am proud of all of our accomplishments.”
These accomplishments are a testament of The Park Record’s staying power, after a string of owners, Spung said.
Since she has been part of the newspaper’s family, The Park Record has been owned by Diversified Suburban Newspapers, which was run by Dean Singleton and Andy Bernhard’s brother, Peter Bernhard; MediaNews Group, which owned The Salt Lake Tribune; Digital First Media; Swift Communications and the West Virginia-based Ogden Newspapers.
“We’ve been owned by a hedge-fund trader and we’ve been owned by someone in West Virginia who counts paper clips,” she said. “When you work with a company that is in a different state, we’re not as important as the other companies in that state.”
For the past year, Spung has worked with the Princes to emancipate The Park Record from any residual shared services.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve had everything produced in house,” she said. “We’ve really had to work at it, and although we’re not quite there yet, our products are back on target, and that’s what we wanted to happen before I felt I could retire.”
Spung is also grateful for Don Rogers, who started his post as editor in September.
“Don came from our old media company, and he came with a fine reputation,” she said. “I like that he’s engaged with the community, and with all who work here.”
Rogers was glad to have worked with Spung.
“She has been a superstar I had known by reputation from afar over the years,” he said. “Getting a chance to work with her, even for a short time, has been great. I can say that rep is well earned.”
Rogers said Spung’s retirement will leave a void in The Park Record office.
“I’ve loved working with her and seeing her care for everyone here,” he said. “She’s done so much to help make my work easier, and she’s been a joy for me to be around.”
Spung said she wouldn’t have decided to retire if she felt The Park Record wasn’t in a good place financially or ethically.
“For years it felt like we were barely hanging on to the rope,” she said. “So this past year has been such a much more pleasant experience.”
The first thing Spung plans to do after she retires is spend time with her husband, John, whom she married during her time as The Park Record’s ad director.
“We’re going to take a trip to Africa,” she said, “but I’m not planning on moving from Park City.”