Yellowstone County News

Yellowstone County News (YCN) is a weekly newspaper based in Huntley, Montana which provides hyperlocal news coverage to the Yellowstone County, Montana area, which includes Billings, Laurel, Shepherd, Huntley, Worden, Ballantine, and Pompey's Pillar. It is currently owned and operated by Jonathan and Tana McNiven.

1977-1988
The first edition of YCN was published Thursday, October 20, 1977 by Dave and Jan Willms, who ran the paper out of their home in Ballantine, Montana for eleven years before selling it to Dale and Beccy Oberly in 1988.

1988-1994
YCN was reportedly on the brink of extinction in 1988. After advertising the publication for sale for several weeks, it announced the final edition would be coming soon.

At the same time, a couple described as “veterans of Montana media,” Dale and Rebecca (Beccy) Oberly of the Big Timber Pioneer, was searching for a place to start their second newspaper. In a 2023 interview, Beccy recalled seeing the farewell announcement in YCN, and saying to her husband, "We should buy this one." On September 21, 1988, the front page headline of Yellowstone County News indicated the sale was finalized. The Oberlies immediately hired a manager and an editor, and moved the operation into an office in the Heights section of Billings, Montana. They operated the weekly newspaper for five years.

During these years, the newspaper regularly employed up to seven correspondents who wrote news stories from their respective areas of the county. The cost of a subscription was $18 per year for customers who resided in the county, $26 from other areas of Montana, and $30 for any other part of the United States.

1994-2014
In June 1994, Pete and Rebecca Tescher-Robison purchased the Yellowstone County News from the Oberlies and moved the office back to the Worden, Montana area.

The paper won the bid for the Yellowstone County legal publications in the late 1990s.

YCN also set up agreements with Shepherd, Huntley Project and Custer Schools to have their respective yearbook class produce a weekly newspaper while under Robison’s ownership.

2014-current
In October 2014, former Republican lawmaker, Jonathan McNiven and his wife Tana purchased the Yellowstone County News. Jonathan announced in November 2014, after being re-elected to his third term in the Montana House of Representatives, that he would be finishing the rest of his term that year but would be stepping down from his position to take over the newspaper. McNiven and his wife became the fourth owners of the paper.

Since 2014, the paper has retained two reporters on its staff. Evelyn Pyburn, a long-time journalist who also owns the Big Sky Business Journal, has simultaneously worked at YCN since around 1993. In April 2022, Michael Marino joined the team as a reporter, mainly covering the Huntley, Shepherd, Worden and Ballantine areas.

In May 2017, YCN was awarded the contract for legal advertising from the City of Billings, and the publication was recognized as the Publication of Record for Yellowstone County.

Amid the COVID pandemic, in October 2020, staff members worked from home and YCN moved into its current office location on the corner of Nahmis and Northern Ave. in Huntley.

The McNivens have introduced several features into the paper during their ownership, including a reader photo contest in 2018, the Best of Yellowstone County Awards in 2019, and in 2022, a section dedicated to new business listings and civil legal matters called "On the Record -- Civil Action Report."

The McNivens also have added many auxiliary functions to coincide with the newspaper, like Dig It Days, an annual non-profit event held at MetraPark during the fair to support young adults entering into the local construction industry. In September 2019, Jonathan and his son, Anderson aired the first-ever YCN Sports broadcast of a Huntley Project v. Shepherd High School football game.

Recognition
Yellowstone County News has received awards from the Montana Newspaper Association's annual "Better Newspaper Contest" for both its news content and its advertising work. In 2023, Jonathan McNiven and Elisa Schlosser won Best Marketing Campaign; Schlosser won the Best Ad to Sell or Promote Merchandise Black and White award; McNiven won the Best Breaking News Photo, Best Digital Presentation and Best Video.

Schlosser won second place for the Best Graphic and the Best Ad to Sell or Promote Services Black and White award. McNiven won second place for Best Website. Evelyn Pyburn won second place for Best Headline Writing and third for Best Editorial. Michael Marino won third place for Best Headline Writing. David Crisp took third place for Best Column Writing. And, the Yellowstone County News Staff won second place for the Best Niche Publication.

Lawsuit
In January 2021, Yellowstone County News filed suit against Roundup High School for allegedly denying the publication access to a sporting event while allowing other media outlets to attend and cover the event, which the newspaper claimed violated their First Amendment rights.

Judge Randal Spaulding ruled that same month that the school did not violate the First Amendment rights of YCN. The judge further denied the newspaper's motion for a preliminary injunction.