The Park County Community Journal (PCCJ) is a weekly periodical based in Livingston, Montana. The publication, founded in April of 2013 by Steph and Joel Martens, features local content produced by a small group of journal staff in tandem with community members from throughout Park County—Livingston, Gardiner, Wilsall, Clyde Park, Cooke City and Emigrant. The journal is financed via advertising purchased by local businesses and non-profit organizations and provided free-of-charge to Park County citizens and visitors alike, serving nearly 18,000 residents in an effort to promote community awareness, cohesion and positivity.
Both Steph and Joel prior to and during their marriage have experience in print and broadcast media, from newspapers in Texas and Minnesota, their respective origins, to Colorado Mountain News Media, a media conglomerate located just west of Denver where they first met in 2004.
After moving to Livingston in 2008, Steph and Joel continued working for local publications doing graphic design and layout editing before adopting Livingston is Our Town—a community newspaper originally operated by Richard Sloan whose departure homeward precipitated its eventual demise. Steph and Joel then seized the opportunity to revamp the publication in their own light—promoting positivity rather than cultivating fear through sensationalist journalism, a longstanding tradition perpetuated in contemporary media.
Livingston is Our Town became the Park County Community Journal and was initially launched on April 1st, 2013. Steph and Joel operated the newspaper, then released bi-weekly, until September 2021, when its publication was indefinitely halted due to COVID-19.
At the request of many prominent Park County residents in response to corporate influence in local media, Steph and Joel resurrected the Park County Community Journal on April 1st, 2023—10 years to the day of its inauguration. The following summer, Denise Nevin joined the PCCJ as Sales Manager, stimulating immense financial growth, increased outreach, and editorial credibility, enabling the Journal to hire its first Managing Editor, Tony Crowder, in June 2024. Copy Editor Jill Ouelette was recruited in November 2023 to enhance reader experience with professional-level editing.
The Journal, headquartered at the Main Print Shop in Livingston (located at 108 N Main Street), currently prints 2,000 copies weekly (pressed by the Bozeman Chronicle) for distribution throughout Park County, though our goal is to continue expanding our reach and impact within the community by increasing printing and distribution.
Through a wide range of content, we promote local businesses and encourage their support, honor non-profit organizations dedicated to philanthropy, celebrate our vibrant arts community by showcasing its contributors and their work, praise the achievements of students and children in sports and education, recognize major developments in municipal and county government, and cover local events to spur participation and advance the concept of community.