WV MEDIA AWARD – NIKKI BOWMAN, WV LIVING MAGAZINE

The popularity of Historic preservation continues to grow in West Virginia.  Not only do we have dedicated preservationists to thank for this development, but we recognize the positive influence the media has in celebrating historic preservation and in bringing tourists to historical sites.

This year, our award recipient is notable for her dedication to the ongoing conservation and the dissemination of West Virginia’s culture, as well as the promotion of West Virginia’s heritage tourism sites and businesses through multiple magazine publications.

Nikki Bowman is a West Virginia native and the founder and owner of New South Media, Inc., which publishes the critically acclaimed WV LIVING, WV WEDDINGS, and MORGANTOWN magazines. She graduated from West Virginia University and received her master’s degree in Writing from DePaul University in Chicago.  Nikki is a member of countless professional and community organizations and travels the state promoting West Virginia events and historical sites.

We recognized Nikki’s heritage tourism efforts through WV LIVING magazine.  It is the state’s leading regional publication.  It celebrates modern day life in West Virginia and showcases the best the state has to offer with positive stories about our small towns, heritage tourism sites, special events, charming shops, cutting-edge restaurants, and talented craftsmen.  Nikki’s publications single-handedly reach more potential tourists with heritage tourism articles than any other West Virginia magazine and has recently featured stories about Helvetia, the lantern tour in Historic Beverly, the Historic railroad town of Hinton, and the Elkhorn Inn and Theatre.  WV LIVING has a readership of 80,000 and is sold in more than 24 states and in Canada.  It is this readership that is boosting our heritage tourism economy in the state.

Check out the WV LIVING website at http://www.wvliving.com/