Daily Press (Virginia)
Encyclopedia
The Daily Press is a morning newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...

 located in Newport News, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

, that covers the Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...

 metro area of Virginia. It was established in 1896 and has been owned by the Tribune Company
Tribune Company
The Tribune Company is a large American multimedia corporation based in Chicago, Illinois. It is the nation's second-largest newspaper publisher, with ten daily newspapers and commuter tabloids including Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Hartford Courant, Orlando Sentinel, South Florida...

 since July 1986. The Daily Press has a daily circulation of approximately 83,000 and a Sunday circulation of about 108,000.

The print edition of the newspaper focuses primarily on the cities and counties on and around the Virginia Peninsula
Virginia Peninsula
The Virginia Peninsula is a peninsula in southeast Virginia, USA, bounded by the York River, James River, Hampton Roads and Chesapeake Bay.Hampton Roads is the common name for the metropolitan area that surrounds the body of water of the same name...

: Newport News, Hampton, Williamsburg, James City County, York County, Isle of Wight County, Gloucester County, Smithfield and Poquoson. Through its Web site at dailypress.com, the paper also publishes some news, sports and features from across the water in South Hampton Roads, which includes Virginia Beach, Norfolk
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....

, Chesapeake
Chesapeake, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 199,184 people, 69,900 households, and 54,172 families residing in the city. The population density was 584.6 people per square mile . There were 72,672 housing units at an average density of 213.3 per square mile...

, Suffolk
Suffolk, Virginia
Suffolk is the largest city by area in Virginia, United States, and is located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 84,585. Its median household income was $57,546.-History:...

 and Portsmouth
Portsmouth, Virginia
Portsmouth is located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the city had a total population of 95,535.The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard, is a historic and active U.S...

, though this area is covered fully by the other of the metro area's newspapers: The Virginian-Pilot
The Virginian-Pilot
The Virginian-Pilot is a daily newspaper based in Norfolk, Virginia, and serving the Hampton Roads metropolitan area, southeastern Virginia, the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and northeastern North Carolina. The flagship property of Landmark Media Enterprises, The Pilot is Virginia's largest daily...

 of Norfolk.

While the main office is located in Newport News, the paper also has bureaus in Williamsburg, Gloucester and Isle of Wight County.

The Daily Press published its first edition on January 4, 1896, less than two weeks before the General Assembly
Virginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere, established on July 30, 1619. The General Assembly is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Virginia House of Delegates, with 100 members,...

 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
Tribune Company
The Tribune Company is a large American multimedia corporation based in Chicago, Illinois. It is the nation's second-largest newspaper publisher, with ten daily newspapers and commuter tabloids including Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Hartford Courant, Orlando Sentinel, South Florida...

 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
Tony Snow
Robert Anthony "Tony" Snow was an American journalist, political commentator, television news anchor, syndicated columnist, radio host, musician, and the third White House Press Secretary under President George W. Bush. Snow also worked for President George H. W. Bush as chief speechwriter and...

, 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
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....

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.

External links

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