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Monday May 12, 2008
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Monday May 12, 2008
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1950 S. State Street Tacoma, Washington 98405 253-597-8742 www.thenewstribune.com |
 Cheney Stadium is home to the Tacoma Rainiers and Triple A baseball. |
Founded: 1883. Two weeklies, The Tacoma Ledger and The News both began to publish as dailies in 1883. In 1912 the Baker family purchased The Tacoma Tribune and subsequently purchased The News and Tacoma Ledger, which in 1918 began publishing under the name of The Tacoma News Tribune and Ledger, published mornings, evenings and Sundays. In 1937 the daily Tacoma Ledger ceased publication and The News Tribune combined with The Sunday Ledger to form The News Tribune and Sunday Ledger.
Between 1947 and 1976 the Tribune Publishing Co. expanded into various media outlets including: AM and FM radio stations, a television station, radio paging services, cable television, an answering service and broadcast towers. In 1979 the official name of the newspapers became The Tacoma News Tribune. In 1983 Tribune Publishing Co. purchased the Pierce County Herald, a tri-weekly publication serving eastern Pierce County, and in 1985 The New York Times began printing a national edition for Pacific Northwest distribution at The Tacoma News Tribune plant.
McClatchy Newspapers purchased the daily and weekly newspapers in 1986. A year later, The Tacoma News Tribune converted to a morning publication, and changed its name to The Morning News Tribune. In 1993 the name changed once more, to The News Tribune, reflecting the newspaper's broader coverage in the South Sound beyond the City of Tacoma. Tribnet (www.tribnet.com) began as a BBS (Bulletin Board System) in July of 1993. The first appearance as a webpage (HTML) was November 1994. The name was changed to www.thenewstribune.com in 2004. Today The News Tribune is the leading print and online service covering the South Sound.
Key Executives:
David Zeeck, Senior Vice President and Executive Editor
David Seago, Editorial Page Editor
George Le Masurier, Publisher of The Gateway and The Herald
Kurt Vantosky, Vice President of Advertising
David Brown, Vice President of Circulation
Kenny Hubach, Vice President of Finance
Cathy Brewis, Marketing Director
Bill Hunter, Interactive Media Technical/Operations Manager
Rodney Robinson, Information Technology Director
Jeff Stalcup, Production Director
Harry Thacker, Administrative Director
Cynthia Winder, Human Resources Director
General Hiring Contact: Human Resources Analyst Maxine Broussard-Upchurch: 253-597-8446, fax 253-552-7085; www.southsoundjobs.com , or maxine.broussard-upchurch@thenewstribune.com .
Distinction: Many of The News Tribune's recently hired journalists say they have never before worked in a market where the newspaper was as highly regarded as The News Tribune. Why? It has been a community newspaper throughout its history. The paper grew up with the community, has and is relied on to reflect community values and to be vigilant on behalf of community interests. The signature distinction of The News Tribune is how thoroughly it dominates the local news market of Pierce County, virtually unchallenged by the larger Seattle newspapers. No Seattle newspapers or television stations can come close to The News Tribune's status as the most authoritative source of local news. The News Tribune excels in its coverage of local and breaking news, major league and prep sports, and Washington's statehouse. The paper is particularly noted for its strong sports coverage, which was a deliberate strategy of the first editors that took over under McClatchy. Its photography staff is among the best in the region. And to tell the unique story of the South Puget Sound, The News Tribune also provides strong coverage of the Port of Tacoma, the military and outdoor recreation in the Northwest.
Market: Pierce County is one of the fastest-growing markets in Washington. With affordable housing, room for growth, easy access to transportation and recreation, great parks and cultural amenities, it is a place for people of all ages and interests. The economy has evolved over several decades from a blue collar/manufacturing center to a more diverse and service-oriented community. A strong port fuels economic growth, the military bases attract active duty and retirees alike. Eight out of 10 adults read The News Tribune each week, and the newspaper plays an active role in not only reporting, but participating in the communities it serves.
Circulation Area: Serving the South Sound area of Western Washington, The News Tribune's core market is Pierce County with distribution also in South King, Thurston, Mason, Kitsap and Lewis Counties.
Customers: The News Tribune is read by 49% of Pierce County adults every day. Readers span all demographic groups; nearly eight out of 10 adults read during a seven-day period. In addition, readers are highly interactive with the newspaper as reflected by daily calls to the newspaper's reader representative, comments on news stories and blogs on its website, letters to the editor and participation in regular reader contests.
Site: The News Tribune is located in Tacoma's South End, on a hill above downtown in the Tribune Business Park. Production facilities and offices are in one building, which was expanded and remodeled in 1997. The 251,532 square foot facility incorporates an open concept design that encourages cross-department connections. Carriers receive their papers at six satellite distribution centers throughout the market.
Readership:
In the South Sound
Average Daily: 306,100 (33.0%)
Average Sunday: 373,500 (40.2%)
Past 7 Days: 515,500 (55.5%)
In Pierce County
Average Daily: 258,400 (49.1%)
Average Sunday: 318,700 (60.5%)
Past 7 Days: 407,000 (77.3%)
Circulation:
Daily: 125,228
Sunday: 137,730
Size:
Average daily paper – 56 pages; Sunday – 109 pages
Single-Copy Sales:
Daily – 11.9%, Sunday – 14.5%
Production:
2 presses, Goss Metro Offset
4 units, 1969 vintage; 16 units, 1972 vintage
2 double folders
5 color half decks per press
Upgrades:
Spray bar dampening
Digital ink controls on units
AC press drives
Brock Reel tension controls on color units
QTI color registration on color units
Color:
Number of pages of process color:
| Day | Color Capacity | Color Actually Used | Page Capacity |
| Monday | 32 | 19 | 80 |
| Tuesday | 32 | 19 | 80 |
| Wednesday | 32 | 19 | 80 |
| Thursday | 32 | 19 | 80 |
| Friday | 48 | 39 | 120 |
| Saturday | 64 | 33 | 160 |
| Sunday | 48 | 39 | 120 |
Other Websites:
SouthSound.com - Local Search portal
SouthSoundCars.com - Cars.com entry point
SouthSoundClassifieds.com - Classifieds
SouthSoundHomes.com - Real estate portal
SouthSoundJobs.com - Employment site
SouthSoundRentals.com - Apartments.com interface
SouthSoundShopping.com - Retail/display shopping portal
Employees:
The News Tribune: 467
Full-time employees: 186
Part-time employees
Newsroom Staff:
The News Tribune: 109 full-time employees; 10 part-time employees
Bureaus: The Capitol Bureau in Olympia is staffed all year by one political reporter – and with two or three reporters during the legislative session each year.
Major Awards: The News Tribune copy desk won the 2006 American Copy Editors Society award for staff headline writing by newspapers of all circulation categories.
News Tribune staff members won top awards in seven categories in the 2006 Society of Professional Journalists Northwest Excellence in Journalism Contest:
Patrick O'Callahan, 2006 McClatchy President's Award for opinion/commentary.
Sean Robinson, 2005 McClatchy President's Award for his investigative piece on "The Dove of Oneness," a quirky South Sound woman who skirted the law with her internet scam and cult following.
Several News Tribune staff members took home top honors in the 2005 Society of Professional Journalists Northwest Excellence in Journalism Contest:
The Associated Press Sports Editors placed The News Tribune in the Top 10 for Special Sections for our 2004 Mariners section. The Sunday sports section was also ranked in the Top 20 nationally by the group.
Reporter Rob Carson won the American Society of Civil Engineers 2005 "Excellence in Journalism" award for several of his articles on construction of the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge.
Seahawks beat writer Mike Sando received a 2006 Eppy for Best Media-related Sports Blog
2006 SPJ Region 10 First Place for Breaking News.
Major Advertisers: Macy's, Fred Meyer, JL Scott Corporation, Windermere Services, Sears, Coldwell Banker Bain – Mercer Island, Mervyn's, Qwest , JC Penney's, Rite Aid, Lowe's , Walgreens, MultiCare Health System, Titus Will, Home Depot, Sound Auto Group, Larson Auto Group, Best Buy, Comcast, Verizon Wireless, Cingular, Franciscan Health System, Big 5 Sport, LaZboy, Levitz, Sprint, Valassis, Novus, Les Schwab, Safeway, Lexus of Tacoma, GI Joes, News America, Korum Motors, Office Depot, Top Foods, Riverside Ford, Video Only, Mt View Memorial, Gene Pankey Motors, Target Stores, Albertson's, Pierce County Executive, Sports Authority, Emerald Queen, Gottschalks, Washington Mutual, Michael's, Dollar Store, Comp USA.
Creative Ventures:
Online: Growing franchises in blogging, podcasting and multimedia
Print: To commemorate the Tall Ships celebration in Tacoma for a week around the Fourth of July in 2005, the paper use its photographers' work to wrap the main news section, and as full page, full color posters for the five days of their stay. During the Seattle Seahawks drive to the Superbowl, the news and advertising departments collaborated to produce daily special sections leading up to the event. The advertising department produces a special feature, Friday Test Drive, which is underwritten by a local advertiser each week.
Special Publications: Each week, The News Tribune publishes The Northwest Guardian, the official newspaper for Fort Lewis Army Base. It has recently received awards for overall Best in the Army as well as overall Best in the Department of Defense.
Weeklies: The News Tribune oversees two weekly newspapers in the immediate vicinity: The Peninsula Gateway and The Herald.
The Peninsula Gateway is an 89-year-old newspaper that serves a unique, upscale corner of Pierce County called Gig Harbor. The Gig Harbor peninsula is located across Puget Sound across the Tacoma Narrows and is connected to the Tacoma area by a bridge. The Gateway is known for its high quality journalism and community involvement in this historical maritime city and surrounding area.
The Herald is a 104-year-old newspaper that serves three cities and a wide geographical area of Pierce County east of Tacoma. The Herald provides top-notch reporting on unique city pages, exclusive for each of the communities in its market, which is the fastest growing area of the state. The Herald is distributed free to East Pierce County subscribers of The News Tribune, providing a substantial zoned supplement of hometown news to daily readers.
Well-Known Newsroom Personalities: The News Tribune's award-winning columnists put a face on local coverage. They include:
Community Involvement: Management of The News Tribune is strongly committed to supporting the communities in which employees work and live. Many employees are board members and volunteers with local organizations – human services, educational, cultural and faith groups. Each year the company provides more than $1.2 million in cash and in-kind donations to local nonprofit organizations. The News Tribune also sponsors a wide variety of events throughout the year, such as: museum exhibits, fairs and festivals, performing arts, farmers' markets, parks and recreation, educational events and series, Freedom Fair, Armed Forces Day, health events, Festival of Trees, Zoobilee, concert series, trade shows, Kids Day, Sound to Narrows and other foot races/walks, home tours, garden tours, and many more.
Since 2000, 1,771 condominium units have been or are in the process of being built in the area, with another 1,014 in planning and design phase. Suburban expansion continues east and west of Tacoma as available and affordable land is converted to housing. Growth on the Kitsap Peninsula and beyond has resulted in the need for a second Tacoma Narrows bridge, connecting Tacoma to the Olympic Peninsula. The Port of Tacoma, one of the region's economic engines, is the sixth largest container port in the world and one of the country's leading gateways for trade with Asia.
Fort Lewis Army Base, McChord Air Force Base and Madigan Army Hospital provide many civilian jobs and infuse billions of dollars into the local economy. Two private and two public universities combine with a network of community and technical colleges to provide quality education and qualified graduates. While some workers commute to Seattle and Olympia, 70% work within Pierce County. Tacoma's Click! Network is the nation's largest municipal cable television service providing high-speed access to homes and businesses in Tacoma and surrounding areas.
Pierce County continues to support manufacturing jobs – from Boeing 777 wing skins, to traffic control products, to windows, to Brown & Haley candies. High tech businesses include Intel, Sagem Morpho, Topia Venture/BIS (Business Internet Services), AD Electronics, Toray Composites and Avue Technologies. Local farms produce lettuce, berries, cabbage, pumpkins, tulips and daffodils, among other crops.
Among recent rankings, Tacoma's job growth helped it rank 17th among similar-sized cities in Inc. magazine's annual Best Cities for Doing Business. Where's Seattle? 179. Tacoma was 36th in "50 Smart Places to Live," a ranking by Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine. Where's Seattle? Didn't make the list.
Location: Tacoma's spectacular natural setting on Commencement Bay, highlighted by a splendid 2-mile-long linear park along the bay and magnificently forested Point Defiance Park, is located 36 miles south of Seattle. Vancouver, British Columbia is 174 miles to the north, and Portland, Oregon is 142 miles to the south. The Pacific Coast is a two-hour drive to the west, and Mount Rainier, located in Pierce County, is a 90-minute drive to the southeast.
Transportation: The Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is located midway between Tacoma and Seattle. Interstate 5 passes through the market providing easy north/south access. State highways 16 and 512 provide good east/west access within the market. Sound Transit provides commuter rail transportation between Tacoma and Seattle. Link light rail connects the north and south ends of downtown with stops at major business, cultural and shopping hubs. The Amtrak station is located in downtown Tacoma, with Greyhound access nearby.
City Population:
Tacoma / Pierce County: 203,063 / 765,390
City Households:
Tacoma / Pierce County: 78,275 / 278,976
Household Growth Rate:
Tacoma: 2.7% (2005-2010)
Pierce County: 6.2% (2005-2010)
Education:
In Pierce County:
High School 32.1%
Some College 25.0%
Bachelor's 15.4%
Graduate Degree 8.2%
Ethnic Makeup:
In Pierce County:
White: 76.4%
Black: 7.3%
Asian/Pacific Islander: 8.0%
American Indian/Eskimo: 1.5%
Other: 2.0%
Multi-race: 4.7%
Hispanic Ethnicity: 6.7%
Median Age: 35
Average Income: $62,048
Median Home Value: $266,500
Average Rent:
$616 – one bedroom
$715 – two bedrooms
Climate: Tacoma has a reputation for rain. In truth, it's cloudy and overcast much more than it is rainy. Average annual rainfall is only 40 inches. It rarely snows. Normal temperature ranges: summer 70 to 80 degrees; winter 40 to 50 degrees. The warming influence of Puget Sound and the protection of the Cascade mountain range give Tacoma its mild climate.
Major Employers/Industries: Fort Lewis Army Base; public school districts; McChord Air Force Base; Washington State; Franciscan Health System; MultiCare Health System; Madigan Army Medical Hospital; Pierce County government; Washington State higher education; City of Tacoma; Fred Meyer; Emerald Queen Casino; Safeway, Wal-Mart; Good Samaritan Hospital; Tacoma Public Utilities; The Boeing Company; McDonald's Restaurants; Intel Corporation; U.S. Postal Service; Milgard Manufacturing; Russell Investment Group; Costco; State Farm Insurance; Longshore Labor Union; Pierce Transit; Albertsons; Washington National Guard; Walgreens; Davita; Army & Air Force Exchange Service; Comcast.
Major Retailers: Macy's, Fred Meyer, Sears, Mervyn's, JC Penney's, Rite Aid, Lowe's , Walgreens, Home Depot, Best Buy, Big 5 Sport, LaZboy, Levitz, Les Schwab, Safeway, GI Joes, Office Depot, Top Foods, Video Only, Target Stores, Albertson's, Sports Authority, Gottschalks, Michael's, Dollar Store, Comp USA.
Higher Learning: The Evergreen State College, Pacific Lutheran University, University of Puget Sound and University of Washington Tacoma.
Culture: Broadway Center for the Performing Arts; Children's Museum of Tacoma; Fort Lewis Military Museum; Karples (Manuscript Museum) of Tacoma; Lakewood Playhouse; McChord Air Museum; Museum of Glass; Northwest Sinfonietta; Tacoma Actors Guild; Tacoma Art Museum; Tacoma City Ballet; Tacoma Little Theatre; Tacoma Musical Playhouse; Tacoma Opera; Tacoma Philharmonic; Tacoma Symphony; Third Thursday Art Walk; Washington State History Museum; Working Waterfront Museum; university artists and lecture series.
Sports: Tacoma Rainiers (AAA Baseball, farm team for Seattle Mariners); Pacific Lutheran University and the University of Puget Sound have championship sports teams; many youth teams in all sports. The News Tribune's award-winning sports writers cover major league football, baseball and basketball in Seattle as well as University of Washington sports; Seattle's proximity means that many South Sound fans attend Seattle sporting events.
Major Annual Events: Daffodil Festival; Puyallup Spring Fair; Point Defiance Flower Show; Sound to Narrows; Meeker Days; Ebony Fashion Fair, Freedom Fair; Taste of Tacoma; Ethnic Fest; Maritime Fest; Western Washington Fair; Pierce County Fair; Asia Pacific Cultural Center New Year's Festival, Festival of Trees; Fantasy Lights; ZooLights, Tall Ships (every three years.)
Tourist Attractions: Mount Rainier National Park; Point Defiance Park and Zoo; Northwest Trek Wildlife Park; Chihuly Bridge of Glass; Job Carr Cabin (reconstruction of first settler's home); W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory; Tacoma Nature Center/Snake Lake; Lakewold Gardens; Ezra Meeker Mansion; Pioneer Farm Museum and Ohop Indian Village; Train to the Mountain and the trio of museums anchored in downtown Tacoma.
Recreation: Tacoma is perfectly situated for outdoor recreation. Puget Sound offers a perfect venue for boating, sailing, fishing, kayaking and beachcombing.
Located in Pierce County, Mount Rainier, the icon of Northwest mountains, towers over the local landscape and the national park offers climbing, hiking, camping and wildlife watching. Three national forests make up our backyard, and two other national parks – Olympic and North Cascades – are an easy drive away. Close to home, Point Defiance Park is the signature park of the Metro Parks Tacoma. It is home to the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, floral gardens and more than 11 miles of trails, beaches and a boat launch on Puget Sound. The parks along Ruston Way on Tacoma's waterfront make a great place for walking, picnics and watching the ships come into the Port of Tacoma. In addition to fishing for salmon and steelhead in Puget Sound, local anglers can fish for rainbow and brown trout, kokanee, largemouth and smallmouth bass, yellow perch, catfish, crappie and sunfish in more than a dozen lakes in the immediate area. Other outdoor opportunities include nearly two dozen golf courses, indoor and outdoor climbing, the Foothills Trail for biking and hiking, and wildlife watching at places like the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, any of nearly a dozen nearby state parks and Northwest Trek, a wildlife refuge of animals from the Northwest.
Nightlife: The waterfront, downtown and newly-gentrified 6th Avenue business districts have lively entertainment and restaurant venues. Dining choices are wide, for price range, style of food and atmosphere. In the past, cover bands and so-so punk and metal bands ruled the music scene. Punk and metal still rule, but an indie pop scene (Mono in VCF, The Elephants, Umber Sleeping) has a niche that's fairly new. There are several good dance clubs – on Thursday and Saturday nights they can pull in 600 to 1,000 people. The jazz music scene has grown. There are annual blues and jazz festivals as well as Wintergrass, which the International Bluegrass Music Association named the bluegrass event of the year for 2005. The Tacoma Dome is largest arena in the Northwest and still popular for concerts (Toby Keith, Rolling Stones, Korn, Dixie Chicks, American Idol, Brooks and Dunn). The Emerald Queen attracts big crowds every weekend.
Famous Citizens: Tacoma is the birthplace of: football greats Ahmad Rashad and Marcus Trufant; baseball's Ron Cey; bowling's Earl Anthony; prizefighter Sugar Ray Seales; Olympic gold medalists Kaye Hall, Leo Randolph, and Megan (Quann) Jendrick; golfer Ryan Moore, crooner Bing Crosby, musicians Robert Cray, The Wailers, Jerry Miller, Jerry Cantrell, Neko Case, Vickie Martinez and Steve Miller; actors Darin McGavin, Elinor Donahue, Pamela Reed and Dyan Cannon; chef-author-TV personality Jeff Smith; authors Richard Brautigan, Frank Herbert, and Brent Hartinger; glass artist Dale Chihuly; Watergate conspirator John Erlichman; The Far Side's Gary Larson; serial killer Ted Bundy; serial sniper John Allen Muhammad. Nirvana – while usually called a Seattle band – actually started in Tacoma (Krist Novoselic lived near Point Defiance Park; Nirvana's first public performance was in Tacoma and "It Smells Like Teen Spirit" was written in a Tacoma practice space.)
Trivia: Pierce County is the "tallest" county in the continental United States, from sea level on Puget Sound to the summit of Mount Rainier at 14,411 feet. Tacoma is home to the fifth-longest suspension bridge in the country, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, completed in 1950. The Tacoma Dome is the nation's largest public geodesic dome and one of the world's largest wooden structures. The "City of Destiny" slogan was chosen in 1873 when Tacoma was designated as the western terminus for Northern Pacific Railroad's transcontinental route. The state's tallest totem pole – at 105 feet – overlooks the Port of Tacoma from Firemen's Park. McCarver elementary school became the nation's first magnet school when it was established in 1968. Point Defiance Park is the second-largest city park in the nation with 700 acres.
Area Information:
Tacoma Regional Convention & Visitor Bureau
253.627.2836
www.traveltacoma.com
Recent Issues of the Newspaper:
Past copies of the newspaper may be ordered at 253-597-8711 or pastcopies@thenewstribune.com.
The McClatchy Company