WEST LEBANON — General manager and long-term Valley News employee Rich Wallace has been appointed publisher of the newspaper.

Effective March 31, Wallace will follow Dan McClory, who’s acted in the position since 2012.

The transition will afford McClory more time for his responsibilities as chief operating officer of the Valley News’ parent company Newspapers of New England, or NNE, which he’s been performing alongside his role as publisher, he said in an interview. However, McClory, a 62-year-old Grantham resident, will continue to work out of the Valley News office.

“We’ve been fortunate to have Dan guiding the Valley News so capably through an unprecedented period of change and challenges in the newspaper industry,” said Chuck Goodrich, CEO of NNE.

Founded in the late 1970s and based out of Concord, Newspapers of New England Inc. publishes 10 newspapers and magazines through its subsidiaries in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, including the Concord Monitor and the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript.

Chief among the 60-year-old Wallace’s responsibilities as publisher will be to continue navigating the shifting landscape of newspaper journalism, especially as the specter of tariffs on Canada threaten to drive up printing costs.

Declining numbers of newspaper delivery drivers has been another obstacle to reaching readers.

“We need to keep evolving and recognizing that digital is the future, yet at the same time, we have a very loyal print readership,” McClory said. The Valley News currently has 2,400 digital subscribers, and 4,400 print subscribers.

Wallace’s breadth of experience at the paper made him the obvious candidate to take on the challenge.

A Lebanon native now living in Springfield, N.H., Wallace’s tenure at the Valley News began in 1987 managing the classifieds section. He then transitioned to advertising director, and general manager in 2021.

As general manager, he’s overseen operations in advertising and circulation departments, as well as liaising with the newsroom, knowledge that will enable a smooth transition of leadership.

“Rich has an exceptional understanding of both the Valley News and the communities it serves. His experience and dedication make him the ideal person to lead the paper into the future,” McClory said.

While operating as publisher, Wallace, will maintain his duties as general manager. Though he’s confident about balancing the workload, the advertising department is in the process of hiring an additional employee for added support.

“I’m very honored to be asked to do this,” Wallace said in a Tuesday interview. “This is really fantastic, and I couldn’t ask for a better group of people to work with.”

Marion Umpleby can be reached at mumpleby@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.