Virginia
Six Virginia newspapers to reduce print days
Six local newspapers in Virginia, including three in Southwest and Southside, will reduce their print publication frequency to just three days a week starting next month, according to announcements the newspapers published Sunday. They’re among the latest of at least 30 papers around the country owned by Lee Enterprises that have announced such changes.
Starting June 27, the Bristol Herald Courier, The (Charlottesville) Daily Progress, the (Culpeper) Star-Exponent, the (Danville) Register & Bee, the Martinsville Bulletin, and The (Waynesboro) News Virginian will publish “expanded” print editions on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and will deliver them by postal mail rather than using traditional newspaper carriers, according to the newspapers’ announcements.
All currently publish seven days a week except the Bulletin, which does not have a print edition on Saturdays, and the Star-Exponent, which does not publish print editions on Mondays and Saturdays.
“Every print day, you’ll experience a ‘Sunday’ reading experience that’s bursting with local news and opinions, investigative and watchdog journalism, personalities and profiles, sports stories that take you beyond the results of the game and a deeper look at the businesses and market leaders in our community and the world around us,” according to the papers’ announcements, which said the print editions will have more content, sections and pages than before.
The papers will include comics and puzzles from each day of the week in the three print editions. On the three print days, the E-Editions — digital replicas of the print editions — will mirror the print newspapers, and on the non-print days, the E-Editions will present “a condensed version of our traditional daily news report,” the newspapers said.
Bristol Mayor Neal Osborne said in an email to Cardinal News on Sunday that print media “is in a period of uncertainty and difficulty, and it’s unfortunate that the Bristol Herald Courier’s ownership has had to go this route.”
“Local newspapers are the backbone of reporting in-depth stories on issues that matter a whole lot to local residents,” he said. “While this is an unfortunate turn of events, I have full faith in the team at the Bristol Herald Courier to persevere through this and continue to deliver the quality journalism our region has become accustomed to.”
Danville Mayor Alonzo Jones noted in an email, “In many communities across the country, newspapers have ceased operations entirely.
“I worked at the Register & Bee for 19 years and saw the transitioning of newspapers from home deliveries by neighborhood paper boys & girls delivering to residential porches and garages to car drivers throwing the newspaper as close to the home as they could get them,” he wrote. “So we are thankful that the Danville Register & Bee will continue to serve, along with other media outlets to the residents and visitors in our city and surrounding areas.”
Davenport, Iowa-based Lee Enterprises (NASDAQ:LEE) acquired the newspapers in March 2020 from Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary BH Media. Lee’s other newspapers in Virginia, also acquired from BH Media in the same deal, include the Richmond Times-Dispatch, The Roanoke Times, The (Fredericksburg) Free Lance-Star and The (Lynchburg) News & Advance.
(Disclosure: Cardinal News reporter Matt Busse is a former Lee Enterprises employee; he most recently worked as managing editor of The News & Advance.)
As of Sunday, at least 30 of Lee Enterprises’ more than 75 daily newspapers have announced such changes. The newspapers’ announcements use mostly identical wording, with some differences to account for the individual papers’ names and the dates the changes will take effect, and sometimes highlighting history and journalistic efforts specific to their publications.
The first to make such an announcement came in February from The Press of Atlantic City, in New Jersey. Other newspapers that have followed suit with announcements this month include The Times and Democrat in Orangeburg, South Carolina; the Dothan Eagle in Alabama; the Waco Tribune in Texas; and the La Crosse Tribune in Wisconsin.
Lee’s weekly newspapers have not been immune to changes, either. In December, Laker Weekly, which covered Smith Mountain Lake, published its last edition. The paper’s coverage now is part of The Roanoke Times. The weekly Washington County News’ E-Edition was last updated Jan. 11.
Lee’s daily newspapers in recent years have also ceased publishing print editions on major holidays, including Memorial Day.
The changes reflect an ongoing challenge across the newspaper industry. As customers increasingly prefer digital media to get their news, print newspaper subscriptions continue to decrease — and as they go, so do the higher advertising and subscription revenues that print products have historically offered compared to digital subscriptions and website traffic.
In a conference call with investors May 4, following the release of Lee Enterprises’ second-quarter earnings, Tim Millage, Lee’s vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer, said the company has “been able to retain a lot more of our print subscribers and more of our print subscription revenue relative to others in the industry.”
Nonetheless, Millage said while responding to a question submitted online by an unidentified conference call attendee, the company is “seeing unit declines accelerating in 2023, resulting in revenue trends closer to what the rest of the industry has seen for a couple of years.”
“You may have seen we did announce in one of our markets to move to produce a robust, high-quality print product three days a week,” Millage said during the May 4 call, an apparent reference to The Press of Atlantic City’s February announcement. “And we’re evaluating our print products with the goal of continuing to provide our local communities with robust, high-quality local news and the best possible print product in our local markets, at the same time as managing the cash flow and these revenue streams as they mature.”
A recent article in Editor & Publisher, a trade publication focused on the news industry, addressed the potential impacts of reducing print publication frequency.
Among other sources, the article cited John Newby — a publisher, consultant and national columnist as well as the founder of 360 Media Alliance and Truly-Local — who noted that while fewer print days means lower costs for newsprint, labor and distribution, some of that savings would likely be offset by a loss of subscribers.
Newby also told Editor & Publisher that the success of a print-reduction campaign depends on a newspaper company’s communication and transparency with its readers — and what it does with the added profit.
“The real problem I see in the industry is that few actually reinvest those savings back into the product,” Newby said, according to the E&P article. “It goes to stabilize the bottom line. If the newly found revenue is not invested back into the product, all you have done is extract from your product, providing the reader with a less delightful reading experience.”
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It’s the final day of the Battle 4 Atlantis and the West Virginia Mountaineers are hoping to leave the Bahamas with a third-place finish in the event. Winning the whole thing would have been extremely impressive considering the field, but Darian DeVries’ squad has already notched a key resume-building win over Gonzaga and can do so again today against No. 24 Arizona.
Here are my picks for today’s game. Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
1 Star – Not very confident
2 Star – A little confident
3 Star – Fairly confident
4 Star – Very confident
5 Star – Should be a lock to happen
3-star play on Arizona (-6.5): This is a really tough matchup for the Mountaineers playing its third game in three days. When these two meet later in the year, I believe WVU will put together a much stronger showing and potentially even win the game. Not there, though.
The Wildcats have a nine-man rotation, which occasionally will be a ten-man. WVU’s key players have logged a ton of minutes over the last two days, with both games going to overtime. As evidenced in yesterday’s game, if the Mountaineers face serious foul trouble, it impacts them more than most teams due to a lack of depth. Amani Hansberry should be able to produce a third straight big game, but if he starts picking up fouls left and right, WVU will be in trouble. Arizona’s guard-heavy lineup will attack and finish around the rim with ease.
I’ve got the Wildcats pulling away with a strong second half.
1-star play on the under: Arizona is a high-scoring team that likes to push the tempo. They’ve averaged 67 field goal attempts in this tournament, whereas WVU has attempted 59 and 63 in games that went to overtime. For West Virginia to win, they’re going to have to slow things down when they have the ball, much like they did in the opening-round game against Gonzaga.
I mentioned fatigue setting in as a possibility in the WVU-Louisville game yesterday, and although Darian DeVries isn’t using that as an excuse, you can tell it played a factor for both teams, especially in the first half. Both squads looked sloppy, slow, and disjointed. I seriously doubt WVU and Arizona will have an extra bounce in their step today, playing for the third time in three days and in a game deciding who takes home third place.
ATS: 3-3 (50%)
O/U: 4-2 (66%)
Overall: 7-5 (58%)
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A Virginia woman has been arrested and charged in connection with a murder-for-hire plot, according to the Henry County Sheriff’s office.
Gennevieve McGhee, 44, was allegedly captured via audio and video evidence in the meticulous planning of a murder for hire, the sheriff’s office said.
McGhee is accused of meeting with a confidential source at her residence in Ridgeway, Virginia. The source was acting under law enforcement direction and utilizing a recording device to capture evidence.
TEXAS INFLUENCER SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS IN PRISON FOR MURDER-FOR-HIRE PLOT
Henry County Sheriff’s Office charged Gennevieve McGhee, 44, with criminal solicitation of murder following an investigation that revealed her alleged involvement in planning a murder for hire. (Henry County Sheriff’s Office)
She allegedly discussed detailed instructions on payment arrangements and instructions for carrying out a robbery and murder.
McGhee is charged with criminal solicitation of murder and conspiracy to commit a felony.
INDIAN INTELLIGENCE OFFICIAL CHARGED IN MURDER-FOR-HIRE PLOT ON SIKH SEPARATIST LEADER IN NEW YORK CITY
Gennevieve McGhee, 44, is charged with criminal solicitation of murder and conspiracy to commit a felony. (iStock)
McGhee was taken into custody by deputies from the Henry County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday and is being held at the Henry County Adult Detention Center with no bond.
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The case remains under review by the Henry County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
Additional information on the case is not available at this time, officials said.
The West Virginia Mountaineers (4-2) will meet the No. 24 Arizona Wildcats in the third place game of the Battle 4 Atlantis midseason tournament for the sixth meeting between the two programs.
West Virginia vs. Arizona Series History
Arizona leads 2-3
Last Meeting: March 28, 2008 (NCAA Tournament) WVU 75-65
When: Friday, November 29
Location: Paradise Island, Bahamas, Imperial Arena (3,900)
Tip-off: 3:00 p.m. EST
Stream: ESPN2
Announcers: Beth Mowins and Debbie Antonelli
Radio: Tony Caridi (PBP), Brad Howe (analyst) Mountaineer Sports Network from Learfield IMG College(Radio affiliates)
WVU Game Notes
– West Virginia was scheduled to play in the 2020 Battle 4 Atlantis. The tournament was moved to Sioux Falls, S.D., due to COVID, and the Mountaineers won the renamed Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic.
– WVU is 45-16 in in-season tournaments since 2007.
– With a win over No. 3 Gonzaga, WVU defeated a Top 5 AP team for the second consecutive season. Last season, the Mountaineers downed No. 3 Kansas in Morgantown, 91-85.
– Prior to the overtime win over No. 3 Gonzaga, WVU had lost six straight overtime games.
– This is WVU’s fourth trip outside the United States and Puerto Rico to play a regular season game. WVU played in Cancun in 2013 and 2019 and opened the season in Germany in the 2017 Armed Forces Classic.
– West Virginia is the only team in the country that has two players on the same team who averaged more than 20 points per game from last season — Tucker DeVries (21.6 ppg) and Jayden Stone (20.8 ppg)
– West Virginia is 201-55 against nonconference teams in regular season games in the last 21 seasons.
– The Mountaineers have posted a winning nonconference record in 31 of the last 32 seasons.
– WVU is 265-99 in its last 362 games against unranked teams, including winners of 148 of its last 180 at the WVU Coliseum.
– This is the 116th season and 122nd year overall for WVU basketball, which began in 1903.
– Darian DeVries, who led Drake to six consecutive 20-win seasons and has a career .731 winning percentage as a head coach, was named the 23rd head men’s basketball coach at West Virginia University on March 24, 2024.
– DeVries has a record of 154-57 (.731) in seven seasons as a head coach, including a 59-16 (.787) mark in the last two-plus seasons.
– This past August, the men’s basketball team went to Italy for a 10-day tour and won all three of its games against international competition.
– West Virginia returns just 2.8 percent of its scoring from last season’s team (Ofri Naveh).
– The Mountaineers are led by a pair of transfers in Tucker DeVries (Drake) and Javon Small (Oklahoma State). Last season, DeVries was named an Associated Press All-American Honorable Mention selection, while Small earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors.
– In addition, Eduardo Andre (Fresno State), Joseph Yesufu (Washington State), Sencire Harris (Illinois), Amani Hansberry (Illinois) and Jayden Stone (Detroit Mercy) will all see considerable action this season.
– Tucker DeVries was named to the 20-member Julius Erving Preseason Watch List, giving annually to the nation’s top small forward.
– Tucker DeVries was named to the preseason Naismith Trophy Men’s College Player of the Year Watch List.
– Tucker DeVries was named to the John R. Wooden Award Top 50 Preseason Watch List.
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