Real Journalism, Community Connections, and Boss B!tch Vibes Keep The Daily Courier Relevant
By Hilary Dartt • Photos by Blushing Cactus Photography
The Daily Courier has stood the test of time, serving the Prescott-area community for more than 140 years, thanks to a “hyper-local” focus and a steadfast commitment to high-quality journalism.
Even while adhering to traditional news principles, the Courier’s parent company, Western News&Info, Inc. (WNI), has remained on the forefront in the corporate world. At WNI, women hold seven of the eight highest-ranking positions. In the U.S. in 2024, men held most high-level positions, ranging from 63 percent of director positions to 71 percent of C-suite positions (leanin.org).
A Focus on Quality Local Journalism
“Journalism thrives in a community this size,” said Megan Smith, Publisher of Prescott Newspapers, Inc. (PNI). “We’re big enough to have news and small enough to have those connections … which is what helps you drive meaningful stories.”
“We put feet on the ground every day,” Megan said. “We hold systems accountable and give the community a voice.”
Beyond that, she said, the newspaper’s employees are community members’ friends and neighbors, shopping in local shops, eating at the restaurants, and attending churches and events.
Kelly Soldwedel, WNI Vice President, said the organization’s focus on quality journalism has helped it stand the test of time. “It is a traditional newspaper with factual information we put out every day since my grandfather, Don Soldwedel, purchased The Daily Courier in 1958.”
Although she said her father, WNI President Joe Soldwedel, is not a micromanager and encouraged her to learn as she went, “One of the many things he told me is that when I’m looking at resumés and hiring people, to not place a major focus on their education unless it was for editorial. If I’m hiring for editorial, they need to have a journalism degree.”
For other roles, he told her, “Make sure they have the street smarts and wherewithal … always go with your sixth sense over what their resumé is telling you.”
As society has evolved, the Internet has become prevalent, and social media has given everyone a platform, one thing at WNI has remained consistent, Kelly said: “We are hiring real journalists that have college degrees, gather the facts, get out in the community, and know the questions to ask. They present both sides of the story.”
And, she said, “We still print a newspaper every day. People still love a tangible product.”
In her travels and around town, she’s noticed a trend: people still pick up a newspaper and read it. “People don’t want to constantly look at screens.”
In fact, Megan said, “We are getting ready to launch an ‘unplugged’ campaign. If you want to … unplug and stay connected to the community, the only way to achieve both of those things is a printed news product.”
No matter how people consume the news, Megan said members of the Courier staff strive to “make sure we are reporting the community news that matters.”
Part of her strategic plan is to re-engage with readers, which means “increasing feature stories, in-depth stories, and more community pieces.”
Local Newspapers: Part of the Fabric of the Community
“Local newspapers are part of the fabric of the community,” Megan said.
Not only is journalism written into the Constitution (the First Amendment protects freedom of the press), but it also plays an important role in keeping the community healthy. “They’ve done numerous studies to show that in a community our size, when you lose a local newspaper, over the next decade there are extreme increases in fraud and abuse of civic systems, and a huge decline in philanthropic efforts.”
It’s easy for members of the public to take for granted the work a newspaper does, Megan said. “Local newspapers haven’t done a good job of telling their own stories, because they’re often hyper focused on telling the community’s stories. We put feet on the ground every day.”
Joe, Kelly’s dad, credits that “hyper-local” focus with carrying the newspapers of WNI long-term.
“We want to be the place to go for local news,” he said. “As long as we keep pounding away at that, relentlessly, we should be okay.”
Women on the Rise at WNI
One element of WNI’s story: women have consistently risen to the top ranks.
“One thing my dad, Don, and I used to say is, ‘Women take care of business,’” Joe said. “And that summarizes it pretty well.”
“Corporations are still a male-driven world in all industries,” Kelly said, “and especially in the newspaper industry.”
Fifty years ago, Joe hired Kit Atwell as the first female publisher at WNI, and that, Kelly said, “changed the future of the publishing world.”
When Kit started her career with WNI at the Yuma Daily Sun in 1972, her position, “idiot typist,” required her to type in all syndicated and local copy. Around the late 70s, she said, she promoted to Composing Room Supervisor, Graphic Supervisor, Prepress Manager, and Production Designer (in this last position, she was responsible for all production aspects of the newspapers).
Around 1986, she transferred and accepted the position of Publisher for the Bullhead/Laughlin newspapers, where she stayed for six months before transferring to Kingman as Publisher. In 1999, she transferred again; this time to Prescott, where she was the Publisher/CEO of PNI.
“Being the first female publisher at [WNI] was overwhelming at times,” she said. “Acceptance in each of the communities brought individual challenges. Along with the fact that there were few women publishers in the United States, I was definitely in a man’s world. There were many times when I was terribly intimidated and felt out of place. In the beginning, there were occasions when I was subjected to condescending, chauvinistic, rude men.”
Plus, she said, “In the 80s there were many men who didn’t and wouldn’t deal with a woman. I felt like I was always having to prove myself. Eventually with each transfer it got easier; times were changing, and I found acceptance along the way.”
Meanwhile, Kelly said, other female employees saw Kit running things … and Kit mentored “many women over the decades.”
“I firmly believe in promoting from within the organization,” Kit said. “Where would I have been had the owners, Don and Joe Soldwedel, not given me the opportunity of advancement? So continuing with the Soldwedels’ business philosophy, I spent time grooming individuals, both men and women, who could advance within [WNI]. It was made easier by the fact that we had many talented individuals working for the company.”
Megan said that although perhaps unintentional, Kit empowered so many women. Kelly added, “She created a movement in WNI.”
Now, the fact that all the company’s executives are women, except Joe, the company’s president, “is still shocking to people,” Kelly said.
It’s not shocking to Joe, though: “My dad, Don, and I attributed a lot of our company’s success in the 90s and 2000s to this approach—bringing women into the top management.”
The women they’ve promoted are not territorial. They’re detail-oriented, smart, loyal, and hard workers, he said. “It’s a fantastic combination, and it’s worked really well for us.”
The Women Behind PNI
Megan
Megan took over as PNI’s Publisher in January of this year, a move Kelly said she championed because Megan “is a visionary. She thinks big, she’s creative, and she’s also very analytical—great with the black and white details and the numbers. Her brain operates at a higher frequency.”
In 2012, Megan and her then-fiancé traveled from Oregon on a Harley to “check out Arizona and go home.”
They planned to stay for a couple of summers, and Megan, who’d worked for the Oregon State University newspaper, took a “new business development” position at PNI. “It doesn’t get much lower in the sales department,” she said. “I was naturally very successful at it. I enjoyed helping businesses grow, and I made a lot of great connections that made the job very fun.”
The Smiths decided to stay, and Megan worked her way up through the company. In September 2015, she was promoted to Advertising Coordinator. From there, she was in a series of mid-level management promotions. She stepped into the Advertising Director position in 2018, which she held until she became publisher. “I’ve always felt that this really is an amazing place to work. I always felt supported, like I was given the right structure to develop, but also the freedom and leeway you need to make mistakes, learn, and grow.”
The formation of her adult life has aligned with her work at the Courier, she said—she’s felt supported through her marriage and the birth of each of her four children.
Being a mother, she said, “shapes how you carry yourself through life and that clearly would seep into a professional role. I believe my kids have made me the best version of myself.”
She added, “My kids are by far my biggest accomplishment for sure. What that gives you is peace of mind. If you’ve achieved that, everything else will come. You’ve done the most amazing thing.”
That doesn’t mean she’s stopped striving for the business benchmarks; however, the concept of having already created something so amazing relieves the pressure.
Kelly
Kelly’s grandfather, Don Soldwedel and her grandmother Luda (McNaughton) (pictured right) graduated from the University of Arizona (from which Kelly also graduated—Bear Down!) in 1946, and married that same year. He ran the U of A student union until 1953 at which time he and Luda moved to Yuma. Luda’s father, F.F. McNaughton, expanded his Illinois-based newspaper business into Arizona when he bought the Yuma Daily Sun. Don ran the Yuma Daily Sun for some time before buying several other community newspapers throughout the state, including the Prescott Courier—which is now The Daily Courier, serving Prescott-area communities.
Growing up Kelly said her dad never pressured her to be part of the family business, but after college, she decided she wanted to.
“I talked to my dad about working for one of our publications. He thought Prescott would be a good fit for me,” she said.
She moved to town without knowing anyone, and although she felt frustrated living in a small town at times, she was committed and dedicated to the company’s mission.
She’d studied photography at U of A and in 2005 started out as a photographer in the editorial department. From there, she worked on the press and then in graphics and ad sales.
In 2007, she said, “I was floundering. Kit was the one who said, ‘You can do this all. You’re going to be my general manager. I’m going to teach you everything there is to know about the newspaper industry and managing people.”
Three years later, Kelly became Publisher of PNI, and in 2015 her daughter, Lake, was born (her daughter Bodie was born in 2019). Although she didn’t work full-time then, she was involved in projects behind the scenes, returning recently to a more hands-on role as WNI Vice President (she also sits on the Board of Directors).
“It’s really cool that my girls see the family business. Lake is older now, she’s nine, and she’s hearing my dad and me speak about the future of the company and the direction it’s headed.”
Recently, Kelly said, Lake asked her grandfather (Joe) if he thinks she could run the company one day. He told her that if she wanted to, he’s confident she could.
“I could see it,” Kelly said. “She’s very driven.”
Lake is already a little entrepreneur, making jewelry and doing neighbors’ make-up, which she advertises and sells. And then, because her younger sister often wants to do what Lake does, Bodie might just join the family business, too.
“My daughters would be the fifth generation,” Kelly said. “Do you know how rare and special that is?”
A Responsibility, and a Purpose
Both Megan and Kelly said they love Prescott.
Not just because, as Megan said, “it’s a community that still values journalism,” but also for the small-town vibes, the four seasons, and the festive downtown activities. Most of all, for the community.
That’s why, Kelly said, “We’re always striving for the newspaper to have full transparency for its community members. It’s a huge responsibility to serve the communities every day throughout the state of Arizona. It’s a heavy load, but that’s our job. That’s the whole purpose.”
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