Shakeup at the Alamogordo Daily News - turnover, dwindling readers

Alamogordo, NM – February 12, 2026 — 

The Alamogordo Daily News continues to promote 1,500 print subscribers in its own paid “Service & Business Directory” advertising pages — a figure that has appeared unchanged in recent print inserts even as the paper’s leadership has been in near-constant flux.

 That number stands in sharp contrast to the 6,355 daily circulation reported before the 2024 sale to El Rito Media, LLC, and to the free, growing audience of independent outlets in the same community.

Since El Rito Media took ownership in June 2024, the newspaper has seen rapid turnover at the top:

 September 2024 — Elva K. Österreich, a former longtime Alamogordo Daily News reporter and editor (1998–2010), was brought back under the new ownership as editor. She served a very short tenure and departed in 2025.

• April 2025 — Josh Byers was hired as Publisher.

• January 2026 — Byers left the paper.

Yet as of today, the newspaper’s official Contact Us page (alamogordonews.com/contact-us) and its printed directory ads still list Josh Byers as Publisher, complete with his Iowa-area cell phone (712-571-0669) and El Rito Media email.

Richard L. Connor remains listed as Editor & Publisher for the El Rito Media group, which also includes the Ruidoso News, Carlsbad Current-Argus, Artesia Daily Press, and Rio Grande Sun.

In contrast independent media continues to expand without a paywall. The independent, locally owned platform now reaches 20,000–25,000 readers and listeners on an average day across its website, live radio stream, YouTube, podcasts, and social channels.

“Local news should be free, consistent, investigative and genuinely connected to the community it serves,” said Chris Edwards of 2nd Life Media. “When a traditional newspaper advertises only 1,500 print subscribers, cycles through editors and publishers this quickly, and leaves departed staff listed on its official pages months later, it sends a clear message  continuity and community ties are lacking.”

The pattern is not unique to Alamogordo. Across the country, many small-market papers acquired by regional groups have struggled to halt long-term print declines, while digitally native, free-access independents have grown by delivering timely, paywall-free local coverage.

2nd Life Media continues to add contributors and deepen its community reporting and monthly community forums.

The Alamogordo Daily News has made no public announcement about a successor to Byers.

Residents now have a clear choice: a stable, growing, free independent voice rooted in Alamogordo — or a legacy paper whose own advertising and outdated website reflect shrinking print reach and repeated leadership changes.

For reliable, free local news:

Visit 2ndLifeMediaAlamogordo.Town.News or tune in to KALH Radio.

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