Former Valencia County News-Bulletin publisher, Sammy Lopez, dies

Sammy M. Lopez loved newspapers, especially the little ones, and worked for a lot of them.

But he never forgot that a journalist’s true responsibility is to the reading public.

When Lopez was with the Farmington Daily Times, he took the city of Farmington to court when it refused to release the names of applicants for the city manager’s job in 2007. Lopez, the Daily Times and the public won that case.

“That was huge,” said Melanie Majors, executive director for the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government (NMFOG), which joined the Daily Times in the case. “It sets a precedent that is extremely important. The people of New Mexico need to know who is being hired for these jobs.”

Lopez, a veteran media leader in New Mexico, died at an Albuquerque hospital Sunday, Oct. 6, surrounded by his family. He was 69.

He was executive director of the New Mexico Press Association, the industry representative for member newspapers throughout the state, and treasurer of NMFOG, whose mission is to ensure government transparency.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 51 years, Kathy Lou Lopez; his cherished daughter, Melinda Lopez; his devoted brother, Victor Lopez; his caring sister, Bertha Benavidez; and his loving grandchildren, Javaris Smith, Jazmine Lopez, and Jeremiah Lopez.

“Sammy will be missed by all of us in the newspaper business in New Mexico,” said William P. Lang, president and publisher of the Albuquerque Journal. “His knowledge from his incredible newspaper career impacted all of the members of the New Mexico Press Association. You could call him ‘Mr. Newspaper’.”

Calm leader

Lopez was a native of Jarales and a 1973 graduate of Belen High School.

He served as a publisher for newspapers in Las Cruces, Farmington, Carlsbad, Ruidoso, Deming, Fort Sumner and for the Valencia County News-Bulletin.

He also was an executive with World West, where he was group manager for eight newspapers in three states, and with Civitas Media, where he managed six daily and two weekly newspapers.

Chris Baker, publisher of the Taos News, met Lopez in 1995 when Lopez hired Baker as publisher of the Valencia County News-Bulletin.

“He was a wonderful boss, a wonderful mentor,” Baker said. “He had a great temperament, a great demeanor. He stayed calm. ‘This is how we are going to deal with this.’ He was a proponent for all the newspapers in the state, but he really cared about the little papers. He loved the little newspapers.”

Lopez became executive director of NMPA in 2019. Baker said in that role, Lopez was instrumental in securing new advertising revenue for newspapers in the state that helped NMPA get on firm ground financially.

“He was financially prudent,” Baker said. “Financially, NMPA is probably in its best condition in some time. He pulled (NMPA) out of the ashes.”

Barbara Beck is publisher of the Roswell Daily Record and president of the NMPA Board of Directors. She said Lopez found innovative ways to increase sales and get NMPA back on its feet.

“He was always willing to help,” she said. “He had suggestions about advertising, about how you can do something better. ‘Do this and if that doesn’t work, try this.’ He was very enthusiastic and caring about the industry.”

Clara Garcia, the editor and publisher of the Valencia County News-Bulletin and incoming president of the NMPA, said Lopez was always willing to listen and to give advice.

“He was truly an inspiration, and we are all better off for knowing and learning from Sammy,” Garcia said. “He made a tremendous impact on the newspaper industry, and his legacy will live on in every page in every newspaper in New Mexico.”

In 2008, Lopez was presented NMFOG’s Dixon First Amendment Freedom Award, and in 2010 he was inducted into the NMPA Hall of Fame.

Lopez was also a lifetime Rotary Club member.

Many talents

NMFOG’s Majors, who worked as both a newspaper and a TV reporter, said Lopez was a people person as well as a newspaperman, a regular guy as well as a hard-driving journalist. “He truly became part of the community wherever he worked in newspapers,” she said. “He went to all the meetings. He was invaluable when we went up to the Legislature to lobby (for NMFOG and NMPA). He was such an anchor of support.

“And he was a nice guy. I don’t know anyone who didn’t like him. We would talk about our gardens. We would talk about our dogs. He was a backyard mechanic. He tinkered with cars. He was a man of many talents, and he will be missed.”