Publications, Performing Arts Center give Valley an Identity

As a 25-year resident of the Conejo Valley, John Loesing has a good sense of what the area is about families and youth. As editor of the Acorn newspaper serving part of the Valley it is Loesing’s job to convey that identity to readers. Lynne Andujar hasn’t lived in the Conejo Valley for nearly as long but as the co-founder and editor of 805 Living magazine also has a sense of what the area is about, at least when it comes to the affluent readers of her publication. Andujar considers the magazine as a gathering place for an area lacking true downtown areas in the three cities in the Valley Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village and Agoura Hills. Within its pages every month readers can find where to dine and travel; how to decorate their homes; and learn about notable neighbors. “We play that role in uncovering things and tell about what’s going on that people might not find out on their own,” Andujar said. The Acorn and 805 Living are two publications with different readerships but one common goal of presenting the Conejo Valley to the world. <!– –> In a large metropolitan area with an overwhelming number of media outlets, both print and electronic, it is the local outlets that define what is most important to the people living in the Valley. The area is also served by the Ventura County Star and KCLU, a National Public Radio affiliate at California Lutheran University with a multiple award-winning news department. The Acorn makes no pretense to compete against the Los Angeles Times or the Daily News. It is not about national or international reporting or news coming out of Sacramento. Instead, it is the topics that readers will not find elsewhere that get published; what their neighbors are talking about, and what the city and school districts are up to. “It has been a winning formula for us,” said Loesing, who is also managing editor of the five papers in the Acorn chain serving the Conejo Valley, Simi Valley Camarillo, and Moorpark. Distributed free The original Acorn newspaper covering Thousand Oaks started in 1974. Today, the chain has a combined circulation of 144,350 for the papers distributed for free to single family homes, some condominium complexes, and at shopping malls and grocery stores. The newspaper industry in general has been decimated in recent years as valuable classified and auto ads gravitated to the Internet. The Acorn also faces challenges with the cost of newsprint and distribution but maintains a strong base who knows people read the papers and know that is where they want to be as an advertiser, Loesing said. What keeps readers is the hyper-local content for which they feel some sense of ownership through a reliance of reader-submitted columns and photos. The paper is not averse to running entire pages of team sports photos; regularly features information about clubs and organizations; and publishes special sections for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Valentine’s Day. If the paper isn’t delivered timely, Loesing is sure to hear about it. “It is a niche that allowed us to grow at a time when other dailies have shrunk,” Loesing said. “We have been helped by focusing on the community. People want that. In the areas we serve there are high powered people but they really want to know is if their street is going to be fixed or why was the building down the street renovated.” 805 Living Andujar started 805 Living to fill a monthly lifestyle magazine. A veteran of the publishing world who worked back East for Elle and Seventeen, Andujar and a business partner launched the magazine four years ago. This year, the pair debuted 805 Bride, which publishes annually. With a coverage area from Calabasas to Santa Barbara, the publication wants to create an identity that the 805 is a luxury area code. “The name itself translates into a name for affluence, the same as 90210 in Beverly Hills telegraphs prosperity,” Andujar said. Like the Acorn, the content stays local and creates a dialogue with the readership estimated at 100,000. The focused and relevant stories differentiate 805 Living from, say, Statement magazine published in Calabasas, which has a national audience and a strong celebrity focus. Shiny, polished photos bring subjects to life in a way that a newspaper cannot, Andujar said. “We want readers to look to the magazine as a resource because [the area] is so disparate,” Andujar said. “The magazine glues it all together in lifestyle, dining, and entertainment.” Performing Arts Center The Thousand Oaks Performing Arts Center is the largest between Los Angeles and San Francisco but the most vital role the center plays is bringing cultural enrichment to the Conejo Valley. The center was part of the general plan for the city but was the last component to be built. Having the center, however, completes the community, said Patricia Jones, president and executive director of the Alliance for the Arts, the non-profit that supports the center. “We’ve got everything here now,” Jones said. The two theaters in the center have combined seating for 2,200 visitors for a variety of programs presented year-round: Broadway musicals, a distinguished speakers series, dance, symphonic performances and comedy. The number one comment Jones hears is how thrilled patrons are to have entertainment close to home that is comparable to what is found in Los Angeles. The center also fills a need as the cultural opportunity for regional school districts that eliminated arts programs. The Alliance’s fundraising also goes to 40 local non-profit performing arts groups receiving rental subsidies to put on their performances. “Otherwise they would not get to perform there,” Jones said. Staff Reporter Mark Madler can be reached at (818) 316-3126 or by e-mail at [email protected].