A New Direction for the Concho Observer

My name is Will McDaniel, and since February of 2025 I have worked for the Concho Observer as a reporter. You might have seen me around town at meetings, concerts, and a few choice spots in-between. 

So far, it has been an immense pleasure to get to know so many wonderful people around the Concho Valley. The thought of getting to meet more of my fellow citizens and readers, and covering the topics that are close to their hearts is the main reason why I felt like the Concho Observer needed to continue. 

I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Jon Mark Hogg since I was wearing short pants, and the pleasure of knowing Matthew McDaniel, my dad and my editor, since I was wearing no pants at all. 

The Concho Observer has, up to this point, been the product of their work and their vision; hiring the writers that have contributed their talents thus far, establishing the subject material, and the editorial knowledge has all come from their steady hands and experience. But they have both long expressed an interest in giving the ‘young’un’s” of the organization a chance to move this in a new direction. 

The day-to-day operation, and the tempo of our product will change in the next few weeks.  

Last week, when the Concho Observer came to a crossroads, I asked our founder if there was any way I might be able to keep it going. To that end, I was named Publisher and Editor-In-Chief.

There is no way we could have gotten this far without the leadership and immense support of Jon Mark Hogg, and to him I am eternally grateful. He will remain as our Senior Editor, and you’ll be able to find his writings on the Concho Observer in the future. 

Now would be the time where I might announce a reader survey, to find out exactly why people like following our website. I feel that this is unnecessary, because we receive feedback every day from our readers. The reader response has overwhelmingly supported longer form, deeper articles into any given subject. Driven by real interviews with people from our hometown, and our region.

Theres only one problem: these kinds of stories don’t receive the same type of “clicks” that short-form, dramatically (and often deceptively) headlined news breaks receive.

Though we plan on continuing to bring you breaking news that no other news outlet in the area will touch with a 10-foot pole, we feel that our talents as a news team shine when given plenty of room, and most importantly time, to follow stories to their logical conclusions. Presenting it to you the only way we know how: thoughtfully and sparing no expense of quality or word count. Essentially, quality over quantity. 

Don’t get me wrong, as creatures of the 21st Century, we as readers demand the easily attainable and easily understood news story. These are still important, I feel that we can make more of a difference this way than any other format. 

I’d like to thank our readers and advertisers who have supported us so far, for their patience and financial support, and hope that you continue to follow us in the coming weeks as we re-arrange things.

Best wishes,

Will McDaniel

Publisher and Editor-In-Chief

The Concho Observer