3400 East College Avenue State College, PA 16801-7528 814-238-5000 www.CentreDaily.com The Paper The Community

The Paper

Vision: The Centre Daily Times is our community connector. We are passionate about our responsibility as Centre County's most compelling and trustworthy information source through our newspaper, other print products and website. We build success through a fierce commitment to learning and to creating essential products. We strive to be one of the best small newspapers in the nation.

Founded: The Weekly Times was founded in 1898 and later renamed The State College Times. In 1934, the paper became a daily, the Centre Daily Times. It was purchased by Knight Ridder in 1979. A Saturday a.m. edition was added in 1980 and a Sunday edition in 1982. The Centre Daily Times became a morning paper in 1986. The Centre Daily Times was purchased by The McClatchy Company in 2006 with McClatchy's acquisition of Knight Ridder.

Key Executives:
Adrian Pratt, President & Publisher
Robert Heisse, Vice President & Executive Editor
Paul Mundil, Vice President of Finance & Operations
Susan Leath, Advertising Director
Karen Mrsa, Human Resources Director
Jennifer Matts-Sprague, Finance Director
Jim Wall, Circulation Director


General Hiring Contact: Human Resources Director Karen Mrsa: 814-231-6469 or e-mail kmrsa@centredaily.com

Distinction: The hometown newspaper for Pennsylvania State University, one of the most well-known and largest universities in the country with more than 40,000 students attending the University Park campus. The Nittany Lions fuel much of this attention. Penn State University is Centre County's largest employer.

Market: The region is evenly divided among rural, primarily farm, communities and the urban, university town. It is also divided among conservatives and liberals, Penn State-related and non-Penn State families. It is a particular challenge to balance reporting so that all feel represented. Education – both public and university – is a hot topic, as are conservation of our many acres of woodlands and preserving the quality of low-crime rural life.

Circulation Area: Home delivery is available to all of Centre County and parts of Blair, Clearfield, Clinton, Huntingdon and Mifflin counties. In addition, single copy sales reach several more counties, especially during college football season.

Customers: Centre County, Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) – 51% male; 49% female; 39% age 18-34; 24% age 35-54; 19% age 55+; 17% have a bachelor's degree or higher; average household income is $53,028; median home value is $128,219; 60% own their homes; average length of residence is 10 years; 27% have children in the household.

Site: A 40,000-square-foot main office located between State College and Bellefonte

Readership: 61,000 daily; 67,000 Sunday

Circulation: 23,959 Monday through Thursday; 26,246 Friday; 25,961 Saturday; 32,326 Sunday (Dec. 31, 2006, ABC Annual Audit)

Size: Averages 28 pages daily and 64 pages Sunday

Single-Copy Sales: 11% daily and 26% Sunday

Carrier Force: Contractors

Production: Seven Goss Urbanite offset units and a mini-press for smaller commercial printing and in-house jobs

Technology: Software includes Baseview IQ editorial system; Baseview Manager Pro classified system; Media Command circulation and advertising system; QuarkXPress; PageMaker; Freehand; Adobe Illustrator. Windows 95 and 98 environments and HP 3000 for business-side.

Color: Used daily on all section fronts and limited inside availability

Website: www.CentreDaily.com

Average Monthly Page Views/Unique Visitors:

• 3 million page views
• 318,740 unique visitors

Employees: 150

Newsroom Staff:
Executive Editor: 1
Editors: 5
Assistant Editors: 4
Reporters: 7.5
News Clerks: 1.5
Copy Editors: 5.5
Sports Reporters/Desk: 6
Photographers: 3.5
Photo Technician: .5
Designer: .5
Total Newsroom Staff: 35

Major Awards:

2006 Pennsylvania Newspaper Association's Keystone Awards Sweepstakes winner as the top newspaper in its circulation division, continuing a streak of 10 consecutive years. Won nine individual awards Pennsylvania Associated Press Managing Editors contest First place in spot news for covering the Bush House fire in Bellefonte, a team of reporters, and second place for sports feature photo by Nabil Mark Western Pennsylvania Press Club Golden Quills Golden Quills for spot news for the fire coverage and for business story by Jennifer Thomas

2005 Pennsylvania Newspaper Association's Keystone Awards Sweepstakes winner as the top newspaper in its circulation division in Pennsylvania, continuing a string of nine consecutive years gaining this overall honor. Won eight individual awards Pennsylvania Associated Press Managing Editors contest 5 individual awards Inland Press Association Staff Writer Mike Joseph won first in investigative reporting for his report on continuing acid rock environmental problems along the Interstate 99 construction site APME Public Service awards Staff Writer Mike Joseph's I-99 reporting in its early stages was named a finalist Editor & Publisher Named to the annual list of 10 newspapers to watch

2004 APME Public Service Journalism Contest Finalist

Major Advertisers: Ameriserv Financial, AT&T, Best Buy, Big Lots, Bon-Ton, Boscov's Department Store, Capital BlueCross, Centre Medical, Circuit City, Citizen's Bank, Comcast, Confer Toyota, CVS Pharmacy, Dante's Family of Restaurants, Dick's Sporting Goods, Dix Honda, Geisinger Health System, Giante Food Stores, HealthSouth, Highmark Blue Shield, Hotel State College, JCPenney, Jersey Shore State Bank, Kish Bank, Kissinger Bigatel and Brower Realtors, Lemoyne Sleeper, M&T Bank, Macy's, Mattress Warehouse, Michael's Crafts, Mount Nittany Medical Center, Nextel/Sprint, Northwest Savings Bank, Office Depot, Ollie's Bargain Outlet, Omega Financial, Penn State University, Pep Boys, PETCO, PNC Bank, Prudential First Choice Realty, Ramada Inn, RE/MAX Centre Realty, Rider Auto, Rite Aid Pharmacy, S&A Homes, Sam's Club, Sears, Sovereign Bank, State College Ford, State College Spikes Baseball, Stocker Chevrolet, Target, Tubbies, Value City Furniture, Verizon, Wal-Mart, Wegmans Food Markets, Weiss Food Markets, Wolf Furniture.

Creative Ventures: Recent books: Sports Editor Ron Bracken's "Replays," "Penn State Forever," a photo history of the university; "Restoring the Pride," reviewing Penn State's 2005-06 championship football season; and "40 Years of Joe Paterno," about the Penn State coach and his career.

Special Publications: Blue Weekly, aimed at readers 18 to 34; Good Life, a quarterly magazine; Family Pages, a monthly publication targeted at families with young children; Weekender & More, a weekly entertainment guide published Fridays; Users' Guide, the guide for living in and around Centre County; Business Matters, an annual economic review and forecast; Best of the Fest and Grange Fair guide, annual guides to special events; Real Estate Buyers Guide.

Well-known Newsroom Personalities: Ron Bracken, for sports commentary; Mike Joseph for local news and issues

Community Involvement: The Centre Daily Times has a strong presence at August's annual Grange Fair, the oldest agricultural tent encampment fair in the country. Centre County United Way Pacesetter company. Co-sponsor of Central PA Festival of the Arts, PSU Dance Marathon, Fourth Fest, Second Mile and Special Olympics. Active participation in the Chamber of Business & Industry of Centre County. Support numerous community organizations through efforts of employee volunteers, e.g., American Red Cross local chapter, Leadership Centre County, Special Olympics, Fourth Fest, Downtown State College Improvement District events, United Way Day of Caring, etc.

Employee Affiliations: GCIU, representing mailroom and pressroom employees

The Community

The Market: Located in a valley in the middle of the state and surrounded by mountains that (normally) protect the area from Great Lakes snowfall. The county, which contains more than 800 farms, is more than 65 percent forested. State College, a pretty and vital university town, has been named in several national surveys as one of the most desirable places to live in the United States.

Location: The exact center of the state of Pennsylvania is in this county. State College is 142 miles east of Pittsburgh, 192 miles northwest of Philadelphia and 90 miles northwest of the state capitol, Harrisburg.

Transportation: Both Interstate 80 and Interstate 99 cross the county and links the area with major metropolitan areas; University Park Airport is served by daily commercial flights to major cities, including Philadelphia, Detroit, Washington D.C., and Cincinnati; Centre Region Transit Authority (CATA) provides bus service within State College and to Bellefonte, the Nittany Mall and smaller nearby communities.

Centre County Population: 145,037

Centre County Households: 52,878

Household Growth Rate: 0.8% per year

Ethnic Makeup: 90.6% white; 2.8% African-American; 4.5% Asian; 1.8% Hispanic/Latino

Education: 19% high school graduates; 32% some college

Average Age: 36 years

Average Household Income: $54,801

Median Home Value: $147,687

Percent of Adult Residents with Internet Access: 85%

Climate: Four distinct seasons with moderate temperatures and rainfall compared with most of the Northeast. Average snowfall 45 inches; average rainfall 36 inches; summer temperatures average 80 degrees; winter temperatures average 20 degrees

Major Employers: Area industry: forestry; dairy farming; education; light industry; seasonal tourism; technology. Employers include: Pennsylvania State University; State College Area School District; Mount Nittany Medical Center; AccuWeather, Inc.; county government; Cerro Metals; Jostens, Inc.; Wal-Mart; PRIET

Major Retailers: Bon-Ton; CVS; Eckerd; Kaufmann's; Office Depot; Sears; Target, Wal-Mart, JCPenney, Lowe’s, Barnes & Noble

Higher Learning: Penn State University main campus and South Hills Business School are in State College. Nearby: Lock Haven University (Clinton County); Juniata College (Huntingdon County)

Culture: Penn State's 12 museums and galleries, including the newly expanded Palmer Museum; Nittany Valley Symphony; PSU Centre for Performing Arts; Penn State Downtown Theatre Center; People's Choice Festival; local theater and historical sites

Sports: Penn State sports teams; Altoona Curve Baseball; State College Spikes, the Single-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals

Major Annual Events: Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts; Grange Fair; Bellefonte Arts & Crafts Fair; Bellefonte Victorian Christmas; Penn State Football and other PSU events

Tourist Attractions: Penn State sports; Bryce Jordan Center, which hosts sporting and big-name entertainment events; 13 State Parks; nearby Amish enclaves; caves, including Penn's Cave, the only all-water cave attraction in the United States; Boalsburg, the self-proclaimed birthplace of Memorial Day and home of direct descendants of Christopher Columbus; the Grange Fair; the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts; Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, home of the State College Spikes

Recreation: Hunting; fishing; boating; camping; hiking; swimming; biking; snow skiing; golf; tennis

Nightlife: Numerous restaurants and bars; Tussey Mountain Ski Resort; Penn State sporting events; Bryce Jordan Center concert events; three downtown movie theaters, Penn State Downtown Theatre Center; Boal Barn Playhouse

Claim to Fame: Home of the Penn State Nittany Lions and famous coach Joe Paterno

Famous Citizens: Star Trek: First Contact actor/director Jonathan Frakes; author/historian Jeff Wert; major league baseball player Stan Belinda; Joe Paterno

Trivia: In 1855, the Pennsylvania Agricultural Society opened Farmer's High School as a college of agricultural science. In 1862, the state General Assembly designated Penn State as its sole land-grant institution. Penn State is one of the two U.S. universities with an on-campus creamery. Ice cream manufacturers from all over (even Ben & Jerry) attend Penn State for ice cream-making expertise.

Area Information:
Centre County Users' Guide
Contact Circulation Customer Service
814-235-3939 for your copy of the Guide

Recent Issues of the Newspaper:
Centre Daily Times Circulation Department
P.O. Box 89
State College, PA 16804-0089
814-235-3939

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