Former Energeticcity journalist buys Valemount newspaper

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Former Energeticcity investigative reporter Spencer Hall recently purchased the Rocky Mountain Goat, a Valemount news outlet, after only a couple of months with the company.

Hall worked as a civic reporter for the newspaper from September 2023 until January 8th, when the sale closed.

The new owner says he decided early on to buy the newspaper due to concerns that a “corporate newspaper company” may purchase it.

“I wanted to be able to still provide that locally based journalism that the residents of the Robson Valley have come to expect,” Hall said.

He says the experience has been hectic, but he’s learned a lot after going from only writing to planning a weekly print newspaper.

“[I’m] learning more on the back end, and then also the financial aspect of journalism, which is never something I’ve had to consider in previous positions,” Hall said.

“It’s overly positive. But there have been some moments, and I’m sure that’s the same with any job, whether you own it or whether you don’t.”

He says the most significant learning curve, even as the civic reporter, was worrying about word counts and how a story would look on a physical paper.

As the owner, he’s also had to learn new software to design the look of the paper each week.

“It’s been a process, like everything else,” Hall said.

Another aspect the new owner has had to learn is writing editorials.

“Often, when you’re a journalist, you’re not supposed to put your own opinion in there, and then that’s really all an editorial is,” Hall said.

“It’s been interesting trying to break out of that habit of being completely impartial.”

Hall started this journey at the B.C. Institute of Technology (BCIT), graduating early from the radio arts and entertainment program in May 2021 because he got a job at Moose FM.

Hall worked as the Summer Cruiser host before moving into a promotions position. Shortly after, a news reporter quit, and after chatting with news director Tre Lopushinsky, he began his journalism career at Energeticcity.

“He’s kind of like my master Yoda of journalism,” Hall said.

Hall left Fort St. John to start the new position in Valemount last September and says part of the reason he and his partner moved was to be closer to his family.

Another way Hall has had to adapt to the new position is by bridging the gap between physical media and digital media, which he’s accomplished by using QR codes.

For example, they had received dashcam footage of a collision and could only run a screenshot in the newspaper but used a QR code that directed readers to the video.

“It’s a smaller part. It was the first time we’ve done that, but I feel like it was pretty successful for something that was done for the first time,” Hall said.

Hall says he’s been super lucky to have had great mentors over the years.

“Like Tre, and also Laura, who was the previous owner [of the Rocky Mountain Goat] and helped start the company and hasn’t left,” Hall said.

“She’s willing to remain as part of the team and help me with really anything that I have.”

Though he has been a manager before and covered for Lopushinsky in the Energeticcity newsroom, he says the experience at Rocky Mountain Goat has been exciting.

Hall says the past month he’s been in the position has been “chock full” of learning experiences.

“I will continue to learn and grow and hope that every journalist that goes through here afterwards has the same experience,” Hall said.