Award-Winning Journalism
People make us who we are. Every staff member at Cimarron Valley Communications is an award-winner.
J. D. Meisner — Publisher
At the 2023 Oklahoma Press Association Convention, J. D. Was inducted into the OPA Quarter Century Club, having been in the newspaper industry for at least 25 years.
He started in Grants, New Mexico, his home town, as a cub reporter at the Cibola County Beacon in 1991. In Winter of that year he became editor and served as managing editor there until 2002.After moving with his wife, Mary Lee, to New Mexico, he was editor at the Lincoln County News for four years before working for six years at the Bristow News as Managing Editor and group editor for Wesner Publications. He went to work at the Cushing Citizen in January of 2019 and bought the paper in February of 2020.
Over the course of those years, J. D. received numerous writing awards including the prestigious E. H. Schaffer Award for Column Writing from the New Mexico Press Association, and the ONG Sweepstakes Award from Oklahoma Natural Gas for Editorial Writing. In 2022, He was named by Editor and Publisher Magazine as one of the Top Ten Publishers Who Get it Right.
MaryLee Meisner — Co-Owner
Although MaryLee works full time as a sixth-grade teacher and reading specialist at a nearby elementary school, she still takes time to write and during the summer plays an integral role at the company. In 2021, she was recognized with a column writing award from the Oklahoma Press Association.
Allie Prater — Group Editor
Allie is, by far, the most decorated and honored member of the Cimarron Valley Communications team.
She started with the company in Spring of 2020. In 2021, Editor and Publisher Magazine named Allie one of the top 25 editors under 35 years old in the country — in the country.
In 2023, Allie again received national recognition in 2023 when she was named by E&P Magazine as one of the top 10 Editor’s Extraordinaire — in the country.
These guys know what they are talking about. She is extraordinary. Allie has been recognized by her peers in the newspaper industry — in the Oklahoma Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest in 2023, The Yale News, one of three newspapers she edits, received the Sequoia Award for excellence in Journalism. This is the top award a newspaper can receive from the OPA. Over the past three years, Allie has received the following individual awards in the Better Newspaper Contest:
2020
First place, news photography
Second place, feature photo
First place, overall photography
Second place, news story
Third place, column writing
2021
Second place, editorial writing
2022
Second place, column writing
Second place, sports photography
Third place, sports photography
First place, editorial writing
First place, overall photography
Second place, community service
Third place, column writing
Second place, photo essay
DeAnna Maddox — News Reporter
In 2020, The Cushing Citizen was recognized with an award for news content. Although DeAnna is not specifically named in this award, it was her content that brought it about.
In 2022, she was recognized with a second place in Column Writing.
In 2023, she earned two third place awards for in depth reporting, second place education writing and a first place for in-depth reporting.
Sapphire Smith — Business Manager, Graphic Artist
Sapphire came to the company in an advertising sales position, which was a solid fit, but when tit came time to find a bookkeeper, business manager and graphic artist, her talent shined through.
Sapphire has been recognized for her work on the three-time award-winning Cimarron Christmas Book, as well as advertising design and the layout of About Us Magazine, and Keystone Lake Guide — both award winning publications.
Chris Reid — Layout and Design
Chris lays out all three newspapers and most special publications for Cimarron Valley Communications. Over the past three years, he has been responsible for four layout and design awards including a first place that helped the Yale News get its Sequoia Award in 2023.
It’s one thing to produce quality, hard-hitting journalism month in and month out — for your readers and advertisers. It’s another thing entirely to be recognized by your peers for doing it best. It takes a good team and good leadership from the top down.
