News Photo by Julie Riddle Justin Hinkley, recently named publisher and editor of The News, poses in front of the building in downtown Alpena on Thursday.

ALPENA — Justin Hinkley, the current managing editor of The Alpena News, has been named publisher and editor of the newspaper.

He will assume the new positions on Feb. 12, upon the retirement of longtime publisher Bill Speer.

Hinkley promises to continue the time-honored traditions of The Alpena News of providing readers what they want and deserve, with high-quality reporting, storytelling, and service.

“For more than 122 years, The Alpena News has been the leader in news coverage and the most responsive and effective advertising medium for Northeast Michigan,” Hinkley said. “We will continue to focus on local news reporting and providing quality advertising, both in our printed newspaper and our digital website, TheAlpenaNews.com. We take very seriously our role in informing our readers and helping our local businesses grow and prosper.”

Hinkley, 35, was raised in Battle Creek and has had a passion for news for many years.

He began his journalism career in 2006 as a reporter for the Battle Creek Enquirer, before taking a job with the Lansing State Journal reporting on state government.

He earned more than a handful of awards for his reporting and investigative work.

In July 2018, Hinkley, his wife, Darby, and their son, Mason, moved to Alpena and Justin Hinkley became managing editor of The News, overseeing newsroom operations. Darby Hinkley was born and raised in Alpena and graduated from Alpena High School.

Darby Hinkley is the Lifestyles Editor for The News, replacing Diane Speer, Bill Speer’s wife, when she retired in November 2018. Mason, 12, is a student at Thunder Bay Junior High School.

Hinkley said he has set the bar high for the paper and is intent on making the paper the best it can be.

He said his goal is to have The News be the best paper in northern Michigan, then the best in the state, and then one of the best in the country. He described the ambitious goals of the paper and staff as “punching above our weight.”

“We are going to continue to build on our enterprise reporting, and telling good stories, and be an avenue for local businesses to tell their stories through advertising,” he said. “We will be a place in the community for people to have a voice.”

Hinkley’s predecessor, Bill Speer, has been the publisher at The News for 30 years, and is retiring next month. He said watching Hinkley’s career unfold is like looking in the mirror to when he was climbing the corporate ladder.

“I am pleased to see Ogden Newspapers choose Hinkley for the publisher’s role,” Speer said. “Hinkley’s career path reminds me so much of my own, and I see many of the same qualities in him that I always have believed were important in this position.”

Since Hinkley was hired, the paper has bolstered its online content, which includes more photos, videos, and interactive graphs, tables, and charts. He said providing quality content to readers online, as well as in print, will continue.

The News made a splash last year when the paper and reporters won several awards from the Michigan Press Association and the Associated Press, including in categories for feature writing and enterprise reporting.

Hinkley said he is proud of the direction of the paper, and attributed the recent success to his staff in the newsroom and other critical departments such as advertising, circulation, press, layout, and mailroom employees who work as one to produce a paper six days a week.

“When I started, I told my staff they were the rockstars, and I was their roadie,” Hinkley said. “I work to help them. It is the staff that makes this paper happen every day. It will be my job to create an environment that will allow them to do the best job they can do.”

Hinkley said his family used to vacation in Alpena when they came to visit his wife’s family, who live in the area. He said he’s had an affection for Northeast Michigan for years, and was thrilled to be able to get a job and a new place to call home. He added he has no intent of moving anytime soon.

Speer said he has confidence in Hinkley’s abilities and believes he will excel in his new role, and that the paper will stay strong moving into the future.

“Certainly, I realize the importance of this transition for our readers,” Speer said. “Hinkley is the perfect person to now lead the newspaper, and I am confident he will produce the best community newspaper in the state of Michigan.”

Hinkley said he intends to remain connected to readers and members of the community. He said he will have an open-door policy, and hopes to interact with people who have questions, concerns, or wish to share ideas or opinions.

He said anyone who wishes to correspond with him can email, call, or drop by his office during the week and he plans to be active and visible in the community once COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.