Words can scarcely describe how excited I am to be joining TurlockCityNews.com as its new Editor.

But, as I’m being paid to write down some words, I suppose I should try.

My name is Alex Cantatore. If you’ve never heard of me, it’s a pleasure to meet you. If you have, it’s great to be writing for you once again.

I’ve covered Turlock since 2007, when I joined the Turlock Journal as a part-time cub reporter – my first real job after college. I quickly moved up the ranks, becoming a full-time reporter on the prestigious local government beat after only a few months on the job.

Over the past five-plus years, I’ve grown as a reporter, and as a person. I’ve won awards for my work at the Turlock Journal, and I’ve become a respected source of news and information. I’m now the longest-tenured reporter covering local government and higher education.

And I’ve fallen in love with Turlock over those years. As a Riverbank-native, I always liked the town, but since I started working here I’ve realized it’s not just the best town in Stanislaus County – it’s one of the best in the State of California.

After five years with the Journal, I decided it was time for a new challenge. TurlockCityNews.com owner, founder, and publisher David “D.J.” Fransen sought me out, and convinced me that TurlockCityNews.com was the right place for me.

Across the country, newspapers and magazines are shutting down print operations. The notion of print media has, in just a few short years, become antiquated.

There’s still a need for news, that’s to be certain. But readers – those under 50, particularly – are reading online now, not on dead wood.

TurlockCityNews.com was ahead of that curve. Since 2004 TurlockCityNews.com has been, without question, the best news website in Turlock.

And that’s been with part-time reporters. Now, with my hire, TurlockCityNews.com will have a full-time editor and reporter for the first time. At long last, this great website will finally be able to achieve its promise.

TurlockCityNews.com exudes potential. With a new site – once again, the best in town – and the biggest staff in the website’s history, this is the dawn of a new era of Turlock news.

As TurlockCityNews.com’s new editor, I’ll still be out in the trenches every day, covering all the local news that matters to Turlockers. We’ll maintain our laser-focus on Turlock news, not padding the e-pages with out-of-market wire pieces.

And we’ll continue to be locally-owned and operated, through-and-through. The only such publication around.

Once again, I am ecstatic, elated, and enthralled to be the new editor of TurlockCityNews.com. And I am humbled at the opportunity.

I will make the commitment to you, our readers, that we want to be nothing less than the best source of news in Turlock. If you have any questions, stories, or just want to chat, don’t hesitate to write and call.

– Alex Cantatore
alex@TurlockCityNews.com
(209)620-0591