Medicine Hat News welcomes Ryan Dahlman as new general manager

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on November 11, 2023.

https://www.medicinehatnews.com@MedicineHatNews

With a new location and new general manager, the Medicine Hat News is ready to renew its relationship with the community for years to come.

Ryan Dahlman became the new GM of the city’s 138-year-old daily newspaper this week after two decades at the helm of a sister publication based in Medicine Hat.

He said despite changes and pressures over the past three years, both the community and the News have proved resilient, but now is the time to strive.

He hopes both can work together to improve public discourse, the economy, the social fibre and general activity in the Gas City.

“I’m about communication, communication, communication,” said Dahlman, who will oversee local operations of Alberta Newspapers. “The Medicine Hat News is not only the best news source in the city, but we’re able to communicate a lot of our advertising needs that our businesses have.

“We want to be the hub of communications in this city. We get the word out, whether it’s through our news coverage or advertising.”

The change occurs as the News opens its new offices at 922 Allowance Ave. (the former Medicine Hat Shopper location). This week the News added reporting staff and is planning a number of outreach initiatives with readers and advertisers.

Dahlman assumes a local leadership position that had been vacant since early 2023.

“The last few years, with shuffling and reorganizing, we need to improve and that’s what we’ll do,” said Dahlman, adding the News hasn’t been alone with challenges presented since 2020. “Socially, economically, there’s been a lot of upheaval and change in Medicine Hat. At the News, we’re excited about the direction we’re going.”

Dahlman, 53, was raised in Assiniboia, Sask., and studied political science and journalism at the University of Regina. He began his career with the News’s sister paper, the Taber Times, in the mid-1990s.

In 1998, he moved to Medicine Hat to become editor of the Prairie Post, and later became general manager.

“I have a rural background and realize the importance of rural issues in the region, but I’ve also lived in an urban area – Medicine Hat – for 20 years,” said Dahlman, who has twin sons in city schools.

The Prairie Post has grown to cover all of southern Alberta and Saskatchewan over the years. Dahlman most recently added Cypress Courier and Bow Island Commentator to his responsibilities, and will also provide guidance to Swift Current and Saskatchewan weekly titles.

“His development on the management side of our business has been impressive,” said Alberta Newspapers group publisher Ryan McAdams. “When combined with his natural leadership ability, we are confident he will have a positive impact at the News.”

In October the News relocated the offices from the building it had occupied on Dunmore Road since the early 1980s to a renovated property already owned by the company at 922 Allowance Ave.

This week marks the hiring of general reporter Brendan Miller who joins the newsroom after working with another outlet in the city.

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