Winston-Salem Journal
Encyclopedia
The Winston-Salem Journal is a daily newspaper
primarily serving the city of Winston-Salem, North Carolina
and its county, Forsyth County, North Carolina
. It also features coverage of Northwestern North Carolina and circulates as far west as Tennessee and north to Virginia.
The paper is owned by Media General
. The Journal was founded in 1897.
, Ashe County
, Davidson County
, Davie County
, Stokes County
, Surry County
, Wilkes County
, Watauga County
, and Yadkin County
.
The newspaper has an online presence called JournalNow. The Journals television partner is WGHP
of High Point, North Carolina
.
The paper also produces a weekly entertainment and social tabloid called Relish.
Its editorial-page slant is considered moderate, although its conservative readership often decries its liberal bias and its liberal readers point out that the Journal hasn't endorsed a Democratic Party
presidential candidate since Lyndon Johnson in 1964. In 2004, the paper refused to endorse a presidential candidate. http://www.jregrassroots.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=8584
Later that summer The Journal started a Sunday edition. When the first edition appeared, Fawcett was dropped from the rolls of his church. The next year the Journal was purchased by A.F.W. Leslie and his son, A.V. Leslie. The elder Leslie was an artist and the son of an engraver. He and his son developed the Journal into North Carolina’s first illustrated newspaper.
In 1925, when Owen Moon bought The Journal, Winston-Salem was the state’s largest city with a population of 48,395. In February 1927 he bought the Twin City Sentinel from Frank A. Gannett of the New York newspaper chain.
The Sentinel could trace its history to the very early days of the small Moravian settlement in Salem. It was started as the first daily newspaper of the combined villages of Winston and Salem as The Twin City Daily on May 4, 1885. Along the way it acquired the weekly Western Sentinel which had been Winston’s first newspaper when it began publishing May 16, 1856. In turn, the Western Sentinel had acquired the Weekly Gleaner, which was founded by John Christian Blum on January 6, 1829, when the village of Salem numbered only 503 inhabitants.
Moon consolidated the operations of The Winston-Salem Journal and The Twin City Sentinel in a new building on North Marshall Street in 1927 and named his Sunday edition The Journal and Sentinel. He published lively, controversial and crusading newspapers. His editor, Santford Martin, campaigned successfully for good roads into what he called “the forgotten provinces” of Northwest North Carolina. Moon sold the papers on April 30, 1937, to Gordon Gray, a local attorney whose family had been prominent in the city since Winston’s founding in 1849.
Gray established a long tradition of strong community service for Forsyth County and Northwest North Carolina, which continues today under the ownership of Media General, Inc. Media General purchased the newspapers from the Gray family in 1969. Today Media General, Inc. is a publicly held company that owns newspapers, TV stations, cable TV operations and newsprint recycling plants throughout the Southeast. The Bryan family, long-time publishers of the Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch, is the major shareholders of the company.
Both the Journal and The Sentinel have won numerous national, state and regional professional honors including the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 1971.
In March 1985, following industry-wide trends of declining circulation for afternoon newspapers, The Sentinel closed. This move gave Winston-Salem a stronger, improved morning paper. With the close of The Sentinel, the Winston-Salem Journal’s daily circulation jumped from 73,000 to more than 94,000 and its Sunday circulation increased to more than 106,000.
The Winston-Salem Journal also produces a number of non-newspaper publications. These include specialized publications for senior adults, pet owners, families with children in Forsyth County schools, brides-to-be and young parents. The Journal’s Piedmont Delivery Service delivers many of these periodicals.
In September 1994 the Journal moved its printing, packaging and storage departments into a new 140000 square feet (13,006.4 m²) facility conveniently located on East 5th Street near Business I-40. The state-of-the-art facility houses a new Mitsubishi presses that provide the expanded color and printing capacity that the Journal will need to meet the information demands of the region well into the 21st century.
WSJS
, an AM
broadcast radio station in Winston-Salem takes its call letters from "Winston-Salem Journal Sentinel" from the time when the newspapers owned the primary radio and television station outlets in the city.
In April 2010, the Winston-Salem Journal's parent company Media General announced that it was slashing all Winston Salem-based copy editor and design positions. Media General also announced that they are going to use a portion of their $1 million of cost savings to "focus on intensified local news coverage."
In October, 2010, the paper's Executive Editor was let go as a cost cutting measure.
On December 15, 2010, the Winston-Salem Journal fired another 18 employees, in the closing of its copy desk. "Eighteen good, accomplished and caring journalists lost their jobs in what can only be described as a short-sighted corporate decision to bolster profits" "Any Newspaper's success is its credibility, not its bottom line." Karen Parker
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...
primarily serving the city of Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina, with a 2010 population of 229,617. Winston-Salem is the county seat and largest city of Forsyth County and the fourth-largest city in the state. Winston-Salem is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and is home to...
and its county, Forsyth County, North Carolina
Forsyth County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 306,067 people, 123,851 households, and 81,741 families residing in the county. The population density was 747 people per square mile . There were 133,093 housing units at an average density of 325 per square mile...
. It also features coverage of Northwestern North Carolina and circulates as far west as Tennessee and north to Virginia.
The paper is owned by Media General
Media General
Media General, Inc. is a media company based in the Southeastern United States. Its major properties include newspapers such as The Tampa Tribune, the Winston-Salem Journal, and the Richmond Times-Dispatch, as well as numerous television stations, such as flagship station WFLA-TV.The company was...
. The Journal was founded in 1897.
Overview
The Journal is primarily distributed through Forsyth County and the county seat of Winston-Salem. However, the paper also is distributed in Alleghany CountyAlleghany County, North Carolina
-Major highways:* U.S. Highway 21* U.S. Highway 221* North Carolina Highway 18* North Carolina Highway 88* North Carolina Highway 93* North Carolina Highway 113-Demographics:...
, Ashe County
Ashe County, North Carolina
- History :Historical evidence shows that Ashe county was inhabited by Native Americans, which included the Cherokee, Creek, and Shawnee tribes. Pieces of broken pottery, arrowheads, and other Native American artifacts have been found, indicating their presence...
, Davidson County
Davidson County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 149,331 people, 58,156 households, and 42,512 families residing in the county. The population density was 267 people per square mile . There were 62,432 housing units at an average density of 113 per square mile...
, Davie County
Davie County, North Carolina
- Wine region :Portions of Davie County are located in the Yadkin Valley AVA, an American Viticultural Area. Wines made from grapes grown in the Yadkin Valley AVA may use the appellation Yadkin Valley on their labels.-Demographics:...
, Stokes County
Stokes County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 44,711 people, 17,579 households, and 13,043 families residing in the county. The population density was 99 people per square mile . There were 19,262 housing units at an average density of 43 per square mile...
, Surry County
Surry County, North Carolina
Surry County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2010, the population was 73,673. Its county seat is Dobson.- History :The county was formed in 1771 from Rowan County...
, Wilkes County
Wilkes County, North Carolina
Wilkes County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The 2000 U.S. Census listed the county's population at 65,632; the 2010 U.S. Census listed the population at 69,340...
, Watauga County
Watauga County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 42,695 people, 16,540 households, and 9,411 families residing in the county. The population density was 137 people per square mile . There were 23,155 housing units at an average density of 74 per square mile...
, and Yadkin County
Yadkin County, North Carolina
- Cities and towns :*Boonville*East Bend*Jonesville*Yadkinville-Towns of the past:These towns were incorporated at one time:*Arlington, merged with Jonesville in 2001.*Hamptonville, chartered in 1818.*Huntsville, incorporated in 1792....
.
The newspaper has an online presence called JournalNow. The Journals television partner is WGHP
WGHP
WGHP, channel 8, is the Fox-affiliated television station serving the Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem, North Carolina designated market area...
of High Point, North Carolina
High Point, North Carolina
High Point is a city located in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina. As of 2010 the city had a total population of 104,371, according to the US Census Bureau. High Point is currently the eighth-largest municipality in North Carolina....
.
The paper also produces a weekly entertainment and social tabloid called Relish.
Its editorial-page slant is considered moderate, although its conservative readership often decries its liberal bias and its liberal readers point out that the Journal hasn't endorsed a Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
presidential candidate since Lyndon Johnson in 1964. In 2004, the paper refused to endorse a presidential candidate. http://www.jregrassroots.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=8584
History
The Winston-Salem Journal was founded as an afternoon newspaper on April 3, 1897, as a competitor to the existing Twin City Sentinel, which also published in the afternoon. When founder Charles Langdon Knight left town only a few months later, the paper struggled through a series of owners in the crowded afternoon field before publisher D.A. Fawcett shifted it to a morning publication on January 2, 1902.Later that summer The Journal started a Sunday edition. When the first edition appeared, Fawcett was dropped from the rolls of his church. The next year the Journal was purchased by A.F.W. Leslie and his son, A.V. Leslie. The elder Leslie was an artist and the son of an engraver. He and his son developed the Journal into North Carolina’s first illustrated newspaper.
In 1925, when Owen Moon bought The Journal, Winston-Salem was the state’s largest city with a population of 48,395. In February 1927 he bought the Twin City Sentinel from Frank A. Gannett of the New York newspaper chain.
The Sentinel could trace its history to the very early days of the small Moravian settlement in Salem. It was started as the first daily newspaper of the combined villages of Winston and Salem as The Twin City Daily on May 4, 1885. Along the way it acquired the weekly Western Sentinel which had been Winston’s first newspaper when it began publishing May 16, 1856. In turn, the Western Sentinel had acquired the Weekly Gleaner, which was founded by John Christian Blum on January 6, 1829, when the village of Salem numbered only 503 inhabitants.
Moon consolidated the operations of The Winston-Salem Journal and The Twin City Sentinel in a new building on North Marshall Street in 1927 and named his Sunday edition The Journal and Sentinel. He published lively, controversial and crusading newspapers. His editor, Santford Martin, campaigned successfully for good roads into what he called “the forgotten provinces” of Northwest North Carolina. Moon sold the papers on April 30, 1937, to Gordon Gray, a local attorney whose family had been prominent in the city since Winston’s founding in 1849.
Gray established a long tradition of strong community service for Forsyth County and Northwest North Carolina, which continues today under the ownership of Media General, Inc. Media General purchased the newspapers from the Gray family in 1969. Today Media General, Inc. is a publicly held company that owns newspapers, TV stations, cable TV operations and newsprint recycling plants throughout the Southeast. The Bryan family, long-time publishers of the Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch, is the major shareholders of the company.
Both the Journal and The Sentinel have won numerous national, state and regional professional honors including the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 1971.
In March 1985, following industry-wide trends of declining circulation for afternoon newspapers, The Sentinel closed. This move gave Winston-Salem a stronger, improved morning paper. With the close of The Sentinel, the Winston-Salem Journal’s daily circulation jumped from 73,000 to more than 94,000 and its Sunday circulation increased to more than 106,000.
The Winston-Salem Journal also produces a number of non-newspaper publications. These include specialized publications for senior adults, pet owners, families with children in Forsyth County schools, brides-to-be and young parents. The Journal’s Piedmont Delivery Service delivers many of these periodicals.
In September 1994 the Journal moved its printing, packaging and storage departments into a new 140000 square feet (13,006.4 m²) facility conveniently located on East 5th Street near Business I-40. The state-of-the-art facility houses a new Mitsubishi presses that provide the expanded color and printing capacity that the Journal will need to meet the information demands of the region well into the 21st century.
WSJS
WSJS
WSJS is a radio station based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina that broadcasts at 600 AM. It has a news/talk radio format and its slogan is "The Triad's News Radio", where "Triad" refers to the Piedmont Triad.-Programming:...
, an AM
Amplitude modulation
Amplitude modulation is a technique used in electronic communication, most commonly for transmitting information via a radio carrier wave. AM works by varying the strength of the transmitted signal in relation to the information being sent...
broadcast radio station in Winston-Salem takes its call letters from "Winston-Salem Journal Sentinel" from the time when the newspapers owned the primary radio and television station outlets in the city.
Cutbacks in the 2000's decade and essentially leaving Winston Salem
In August 2007, the Journal reported it was ending its daily business section and cutting five positions. Two of the positions eliminated were in the newsroom. http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20070823/APN/708231000In April 2010, the Winston-Salem Journal's parent company Media General announced that it was slashing all Winston Salem-based copy editor and design positions. Media General also announced that they are going to use a portion of their $1 million of cost savings to "focus on intensified local news coverage."
In October, 2010, the paper's Executive Editor was let go as a cost cutting measure.
On December 15, 2010, the Winston-Salem Journal fired another 18 employees, in the closing of its copy desk. "Eighteen good, accomplished and caring journalists lost their jobs in what can only be described as a short-sighted corporate decision to bolster profits" "Any Newspaper's success is its credibility, not its bottom line." Karen Parker
Pulitzer Prizes
- 1971—Meritorious public servicePulitzer Prize for Public ServiceThe Pulitzer Prize for Public Service has been awarded since 1918 for a distinguished example of meritorious public service by a newspaper or news site through the use of its journalistic resources. Those resources, as well as reporting, may include editorials, cartoons, photographs, graphics,...
, staff; "for coverage of environmental problems, as exemplified by a successful campaign to block strip mining operation that would have caused irreparable damage to the hill country of northwest North Carolina."
Senior Leaders
- President and Publisher: Jeffrey P. Green
- Managing Editor: Carol L. Hanner
- Editorial Page Editor: John Railey
- Vice President Sales and Marketing: Terry Coomes
- Circulation Director: Keith Petty
- Production Director: Frank B. Clayton
- Controller: David H. Stanfield