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 have extensive 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 from it's previous owner.
Livingston is Our Town became the Park County Community Journal and was initially launched on April 1st, 2013. Steph and Joel operated the newspaper until September 2021, when its publication was indefinitely halted due to COVID-19.
At the request of many 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 new financial growth, increased outreach, and editorial credibility, enabling the Journal to hire its first Managing Editor, Tony Crowder, in June 2024.
The Journal currently prints between 1,500 and 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, the PCCJ promotes local businesses, honors non-profit organizations dedicated to philanthropy, celebrates our vibrant arts community by showcasing its contributors and their work, praises the achievements of students and children in sports and education, recognizes major developments in municipal and county government, and covers local events to spur participation and advance the concept of community.