Long-Time Asbarez Editor Apo Boghigian to Leave Post

Veteran journalist and long-time editor of the Asbarez Daily Newspaper, and its current Chief Financial Officer, will leave his post effective September 1, announced the newspaper’s management. Boghigian will be repatriating to Armenia.

Boghigian’s tenure at Asbarez spans decades. He first joined the newspaper in 1985 as the editor of the Armenian section. During this time, the newspaper experienced a surge in readership and expansion of coverage. In 1990, he relocated to Armenia where he established the ARF News and Information Center, a news agency that provided daily information from the newly-independent Republic of Armenia, as well as reports from the frontlines of the Artsakh Liberation War. The agency also guided foreign journalists who arrived in Armenia to cover the post-Soviet changes, as well as the war in Artsakh. In Armenia, Boghigian became the founding editor of the Yerkir Daily Newspaper, the official organ of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation in Armenia, which at its peak, was the most-read publication in Armenia. He also was a board member of Yerkir Media, a non-government run television channel with its headquarters in Yerevan.

Upon his return to the United States, Boghigian assumed the editoriship of Asbarez in 2008. Under his leadership, Asbarez expanded to become a publication that catered to all of the vast segments of the growing and expanding Armenian-American community on the West Coast and became the definitive voice for community action and empowerment. It was during Boghigian’s tenure that Asbarez launched its highly sought after Thursday edition, which is distributed free of charge in Glendale, Burbank and La Crescenta communities. At the same time, the newspaper also became a true arena for divergent views on matters of importance to the Armenian community and the Nation, with the Asbarez newsroom becoming a gathering place for academicians, intellectuals, writers and community activists. Under Boghigian’s leadership, the Armenian section expanded its foothold online, and with the debut of the Armenian version of asbarez.com began reaching a wider–more worldwide–audience through the newspaper’s various social media platforms and direct-to-reader services, such as the daily Asbarez Post newsletter, which launched an Armenian language iteration.

“We are tremendously grateful to Apo for his unwavering commitment to Asbarez, which can be seen in its daily growth and reach throughout the community in the Western United States and throughout the world,” said Avedik Izmirlian, the chairman of the Armenian Media Network, Asbarez’s parent company.

“We wish him the best of luck and success in his future endeavors, knowing full well that he will continue the pursuit of the just aspirations of the Armenian Nation and the Armenian Cause, wherever he goes and whatever he undertakes,” added Izmirlian.

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation Western U.S. Central Committee also extended it well wishes to Boghigian ahead of his departure.

“We are grateful to Apo for his efforts in making Asbarez a unique platform that rallied the community together around the ideals and objectives of the ARF, and its goal to serve the Armenian people,” said Dr. Carmen Ohanian, the co-chair of the ARF Central Committee.

“We wish Apo success in his future endeavors and are confident that the newspaper will continue to expand and flourish because of the vision and commitment he brought to the publication on a daily basis,” added Ohanian.

The editorial board, management and staff of Asbarez also wish Boghigian well in the next phase of his career, His dedication to the Armenian Cause is infectious and it will drive the staff to continue and enhance the path he has carved for Asbarez for years to come.