OKANOGAN – With the county commissioners’ decision to accept NCW Media, Inc.’s bid for their legal advertising the Okanogan Valley Gazette-Tribune and Quad City Herald remain Okanogan County’s official newspaper of public record.

NCW Media’s bid was accepted in the afternoon session of the Okanogan County Commissioners on Monday, April 4.

This is the third year that the two sister newspapers have combined to publish the county’s legal advertising, although the Gazette-Tribune has held the contract several times in the past.

The only other bidder for the contract was the Omak Chronicle, which offered to publish the legals for a higher price than NCW Media’s bid of $4.90 per column inch. The commissioners originally opened the bids at their meeting the week before on Monday, March 28. However, they asked their staff to put together an information packet comparing the two bids with actual costs.

“I’m kind of the new kid on the block and they did a spreadsheet to help us interpret the actual costs of the legal advertising based on the two newspapers’ bids,” said Commissioner Jim Detro from District 3 the day after the bid was awarded by himself and Commissioners Bud Hoover and Andy Lampe.

“The spreadsheet showed that back in 2007 when the commissioners decided to last go with the Chronicle it was double the cost,” Detro said, adding he felt by going with NCW Media’s north and south county newspapers the county would get adequate exposure for the county’s legal advertising while saving the county a lot of money in lean financial times.

“We’re glad we can help serve the county and keep it’s citizens informed,” said Bill Forhan, publisher of the Gazette-Tribune and Quad City Herald, as well as the Lake Chelan Mirror, Leavenworth Echo and Cashmere Valley Record.