The city of New Braunfels has changed drastically since it was founded, but during that time a consistent voiced has remained in the form of the local newspaper.
The New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung — “zeitung” meaning newspaper in German — was first published in 1852 and has remained a staple of the community ever since, despite being published under different names and multiple languages during that time.
Today the business, located at 549 Land Street, delivers information about the growing community through its traditional print newspaper, glossy magazines and host of digital options. And the company is proud of providing locally-focused information to the community.
“We are the only local news source that is available in New Braunfels, and the normal person is not going to find out what is happening locally any place other than us,” said Neice Bell, publisher of the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung. “If like your neighbor’s son is on the baseball team and he hits a home run at last night’s game, you aren’t going to find out about it except for in the newspaper.”
Inside the pages of the local newspaper and its various publications, Herald-Zeitung readers can expect to find information about local government, schools, local sports leagues, lifestyle, new business, restaurants and more.
“But mainly we like to tell stories about what people are doing in the community,” Bell said.
She said the newspaper has seen a growing number of subscribers over the past several years and looks to continue that trend both in print and online.
“We are doing more digitally because that seems to be the way it’s going,” Bell said. “Now, there will always be a print component to the newspaper just because people love to get that print.”
In recent years, the company also added New Braunfels Monthly magazine and began publishing the annual Best of New Braunfels awards in its own magazine, something Bell said residents have embraced.
“That was the first year we did a slick magazine with it and it went over tremendously,” she said. “People loved it.”
But beyond that, Bell said she has learned over the course of her 40-year career in newspapers that one of the most valuable things a newspaper brings to the community is the ability to be a force for positive change.
“By that, I mean if somebody needs help or somebody is in need for whatever reason or a fundraiser or there is something we could do that could help the community get better and be a better place,” she said. “That’s what I like about newspapers. We have an ability to affect change when it comes to making our community a better place.”
As New Braunfels continues to change, so do many businesses. But Bell doesn’t see the Herald-Zeitung being any less important to the community as new residents continue to move the area and seek out information about the community.
“We’ve been here since 1852 and we’re not going anywhere,” Bell said.
