About

Welcome to TheRockwallNews.com, Rockwall County’s leading online news and information service.

“First with the news you want to read about Rockwall County TX!”

Providing more headline news and feature stories about Rockwall County than any other website, TheRockwallNews.com is Rockwall County’s first daily headline news operation, with updates nearly every day.

Over 25,000 readers now visit our combined website and blog each month, and readership is growing extremely fast!

TheRockwallNews.com is not an “old school” printed newspaper. It’s one of the new brand of news websites designed for people who prefer to get their news from the Internet.

Owned and published by award-winning newsman, former talk radio show host and Rockwall resident J.J. Smith, we write and post breaking news, feature stories, investigative pieces and editorial opinions about topics that you have told us you care and want to read and learn about.

We try to localize many of the major stories that everyone is talking about. We also do some digging and publish investigative news pieces that no other local media touches.

Thanks to rapid web technology, TheRockwallNews.com provides breaking news, photos and videos faster than other local media because we can post stories online, just minutes after events actually happen. We’ve already posted numerous stories on our website faster than The Dallas Morning News, local weekly newspapers, or even TV or radio stations.

Video news reports are also coming soon!

HISTORY

Our initial news and information website was launched in May, 2008, as www.RockwallRocks.com. In one year, the readership grew from zero to 8,ooo visits per month.

On May 15, 2009, the name was changed to The Rockwall News to more accurately brand the website for what it is.  ”Rockwall Rocks!” became the name of J.J.’s blog, where he posts his thoughts and opinions about life and living by beautiful Lake Ray Hubbard.

With our newly-upgraded format, plus additional promotion, readership has already grown to 25,000 readers in seven months and is expected to increase to over 30,000 page views per month by the end of 2009.

Our goal is to become Rockwall County’’s most popular daily news and information destination, with readership numbering in the millions of visits per month!

J.J. SMITH

Publisher J.J. Smith started his career in Milwaukee WI, as sports editor and assistant news editor of the Menononee Falls News,  where he received the award for “Best Sports Section” for weekly newspapers by the Wisconsin Newspaper Association.

From there he became a news feature writer at one of the Midwest’s leading public relations agencies, advancing afterward to become a US Senate campaign press secretary, marketing director for several hospitals, plus advertising and promotions director for Houston’s regional METROpolitan transit authority.

From there he spent 15 years as a radio & TV advertising account manager at several radio stations and cable TV systems in Houston and Dallas.

J.J. Smith is now a veteran advertising and public relations consultant, after working with such leading brands as AMC Theatres, Chevrolet, Dodge, Exxon, Dallas Cowboys Radio Network, KVIL-FM, Macy’s, Six Flags Over Texas, Southwest Airlines and The Houston Chronicle.

During his 30-year career, he’s written and arranged thousands of news stories for TV, radio and print; produced hundreds of radio &  TV ads; negotiated millions of dollars worth of commercials; plus created dozens of single, joint and multi-brand promotions.

J.J., his wife, Roxana, and teenage daughter, Lisa – who attends Rockwall High School – have lived in Rockwall since 2003. They are active in church and in the community.

J.J. is the founder and director of the Lillian Smith Family Violence Foundation, as well, which spearheads media, school and community efforts to stop and prevent domestic, dating and child abuse across Rockwall County and Dallas-Ft. Worth. Several Rockwall County residents serve as board members of the non-profit organization.