New Day for Blue Ridge Country

Randy Thompson, Owner and Publisher, VistaMedia Inc.

Blue Ridge Country, in its 38th year of continuous bimonthly publication, is now a property of VistaMedia, which has been in the publishing business since 1985. 

“We are excited and privileged to welcome BRC to our family of periodical titles,” says Randy Thompson, founder, CEO and publisher for VistaMedia. “We have admired the magazine’s content, design and continuity for decades.” 

Thompson, a native of Roanoke, Virginia views this merger as more of a homecoming than an acquisition.

VistaMedia’s home office is in Virginia Beach, Virginia, from where they also publish Lynchburg Living, Coastal Virginia Magazine, Outer Banks Coastal Life and other periodicals as well as more than 35 lifestyle and visitor titles over five states, and custom titles for destinations, non-profits and national brands. 

VistaMedia’s sponsorship, production and management of annual events offer a new potential for Blue Ridge Country. The company’s deep involvement in digital advertising and outreach also present a whole new world for the magazine in the future. 

This new day is an exciting one for our 38-year title; for our staff, our advertisers and writers and most of all, for our readers! 


The story above first appeared in our January / February 2026 issue.

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