Daily Press (Virginia)
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| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet, online |
| Owner(s) | Tribune Publishing |
| Publisher | Digby Solomon |
| Editor | Marisa Porto |
| Founded | 1896 |
| Headquarters | 703 Mariners Row. Newport News, Virginia 23606 |
| Circulation | 55,000 daily 85,000 Sunday |
| ISSN | None |
| Website | dailypress.com |
The Daily Press is a morning newspaper published in Newport News, Virginia, that covers the Hampton Roads metro area of Virginia. It was established in 1896 and was owned by the Tribune Company from 1986 to 2014, and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing.
The Daily Press has a daily circulation of approximately 55,000 and a Sunday circulation of about 85,000.
The print edition of the newspaper focuses primarily on the cities and counties on and around the Virginia Peninsula: Newport News, Hampton, Williamsburg, James City County, York County, Isle of Wight County, Gloucester County, Mathews County, Smithfield and Poquoson. Through its Web site at dailypress.com, the paper also publishes some news, sports and features from South Hampton Roads, which includes Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Suffolk and Portsmouth, though this area is covered fully by the other of the metro area's newspapers: The Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk.
Daily Press LLC also publishes the Virginia Gazette, covering news in Williamsburg, James City and York.
The Daily Press published its first edition on January 4, 1896, less than two weeks before the General Assembly declared Newport News a city. Charles E. Thacker owned and edited the paper from a small printing shop in the basement of the First National Bank, promising in his four-page first edition to “espouse the right and oppose the wrong wherever found.”
In 1910, Thacker sold the business to bankers Henry and George Schmelz, who formed Daily Press Inc. Three years later, they bought The Times-Herald, giving them control of both the morning and afternoon newspapers in the area. The Times-Herald published its final edition on August 30, 1991, leaving the Daily Press as the only major newspaper based in Newport News.
Between 1913 and 1986, the papers were owned and managed by members of the Van Buren and Bottom families. In 1986, the Tribune Company bought the Daily Press and named Joseph D. Cantrell president and publisher. Cantrell was followed by Jack W. Davis Jr. (1994–1998), Kathleen Waltz (1998–2000), Rondra Mathews (2000–2006) and Digby Solomon (2006–present).
Alumni of the newspaper include Tony Snow, who served as editorial page editor from 1982 to 1984 and went on to become a nationally syndicated columnist and White House press secretary under President George W. Bush from April 2006 until September 2007. Between 1988 and 2003, award-winning metro columnist Jim Spencer was the paper’s most prominent voice, and David Teel is one of the most respected sports columnists along the Eastern Seaboard. The newspaper has had a reputation for outstanding photography.
The paper charges $293.76 per year for daily delivery for 2012, up from $195.48 for 2011.