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Monday May 12, 2008
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Monday May 12, 2008
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333 W. Canal Drive Kennewick, WA 99336 509-582-1500 or 800-874-0445 www.tricityherald.com |
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Motto: Voice of the Mid-Columbia
Founded: Vo1. 1, No. 1 of the first daily newspaper in the history of the Tri-Cities hit the streets on the afternoon of Nov. 13, 1947. It was born from the Pasco Herald, a 10-page weekly with a circulation of 2,000 that had been acquired a month before, on Oct. 1, 1947, by Glenn C. Lee and Robert Philip.
The Tri-City Herald is the latest and longest lived in a series of newspapers that have served the Tri-Cities since the 1880s. They included the News-Recorder, the Columbia Courier, the Twin City Reporter, the Pasco Express, the Kennewick Courier-Reporter, the Benton County Advocate and the Pasco Empire — all weeklies. They either competed with or succeeded one another.
For 13 years beginning in 1950, the Tri-City Herald had competition from a second daily newspaper. The Pasco-based Columbia Basin News was subsidized by the International Typographical Union (ITU), which helped bankroll the News after the union became embroiled in a labor dispute with the Tri-City Herald.
The McClatchy Company purchased the Tri-City Herald from its local owners in October 1979. The newspaper converted from afternoon to morning delivery in September 1984, and added a Sunday edition in August 1987 to make the Tri-City Herald a seven-day daily. Teamwork and a strong connection to the community inspire innovation and collaboration. The Tri-City Herald is consistently making improvements to serve and engage readers and customers.
Key Executives:
Rufus M. Friday, Publisher
Ken Robertson, Executive Editor
Dave Gilchrist, Advertising Director
Vivian Terrell, Circulation Director
Lora Sand, Customer Service Director
Chris Sivula, Editorial Page Editor
Jerry Hug, Finance Director
Clay Myers, Information Technology Director
Andy Perdue, Interactive Media Director
Richard Krasner, Operations Manager
General Hiring Contact: Human Resources Department, P.O. Box 2608, Tri-Cities, WA 99302-2608. E-mail to Kelly Nite, human resources manager, at knite@tricityherald.com.
Market: The Tri-Cities is made up of four cities (Kennewick, Pasco, Richland and West Richland) spanning two counties and three rivers. Community values of quality education, strong work ethic, generosity and good quality of life keep Tri-Citians motivated to thrive economically. The Tri-City Herald serves as the “Voice of the Mid-Columbia” with an editorial page mission of making the community stronger and doing what’s best for the Tri-Cities’ long-term future. The newspaper is a partner with many nonprofit agencies, especially those supporting literacy, children, economic development and the arts.
Circulation Area: The newspaper’s circulation area – and the Tri-City retail market – encompasses outlying towns up to 90 miles away, including Walla Walla, Sunnyside, Othello, Moses Lake and Hermiston, Ore.
Customers: Tri-City Herald readership is above average compared with other markets surveyed by Belden Associates. Local newspaper readership is especially strong among college-educated adults age 35 and older.
Site: The Tri-City Herald moved into a new 46,416-square-foot office building in May 2004. It is nearly double the size of the old building and adjacent to the original location. The office is in downtown Kennewick and features river- and desert-theme décor, Herald photography, lots of natural light, modern efficiencies and room to grow.
Readership: 55% of Tri-City adults read the Tri-City Herald on the average weekday and 63% of adults read the Sunday edition. (Belden Associates 2003 Tri-City market study)
Circulation: Total average paid circulation daily is 41,958 (Monday-Saturday) and Sunday is 44,841.
Size: The average daily newspaper size is 36 to 40 pages, while the average Sunday edition is 68 pages, plus inserts.
Single-Copy Sales: 8.1% of daily and 11.6% of Sunday circulation is from single-copy sales.
Production: The Tri-City Herald installed its first new press in 1992, a $6 million M.A.N. Roland, which allows for high-quality color reproduction.
The Tri-City Herald was one of the first newspapers in the nation to become fully paginated – building the entire page on the computer. The first fully paginated edition was published on Nov. 18, 1994. Another technological advancement – digital photography – was integrated in 1997. In April 1999, the Herald installed a fully integrated computer system to bring advertising, graphics and photos together more efficiently.
Continuing the role as one of the McClatchy newspapers that tests new technology, the Tri-City Herald converted to “direct-to-plate” production in November 2000. When a page is done, the newsroom copy editor hits a button that sends the page to a platesetter, which uses a laser to etch the stories, headlines, photos and ads onto the metal plate that goes on the press. The previous method involved printing out film of the pages, which then were burned onto plates. The direct-to-plate process saves considerable time and money in the production process.
In April 2001, the Tri-City Herald converted from 54-inch-wide newsprint to 50-inch-wide newsprint. This allowed for a major redesign and the addition of several weekday feature sections. The newspaper will convert to 48-inch-wide newsprint in February 2007.
Color: In a 40-page newspaper, there are 20 full-color positions and three spot colors. The larger the newspaper, the more color ink is available.
Newspaper Website: www.tricityherald.com
Average Monthly Page Views/Unique Visitors: 1.4 million page views and 150,000 unique visitors per month.
Other Websites:
Employees: 246 employees (159 full time and 87 part time).
Newsroom Staff: 55 journalists – 46 full time and nine part time – including reporters, editors, photographers and editorial page staff.
Bureaus: The Tri-City Herald has four bureaus staffed year-round: Olympia, Prosser, Moses Lake/Othello and Hermiston, Ore.
Major Awards: The Tri-City Herald is dedicated to quality journalism for the betterment of the community. In the end, the community’s support is the only award that counts. But the Tri-City Herald is proud to be recognized annually by the newspaper industry.
In Spring 2006, Tri-City Herald newsroom staff received 22 awards from the Society of Professional Journalists Inland Northwest contest. This included eight first-place awards ranging from investigative reporting into problems with a new 911 emergency dispatch system to front-page layout. The entire staff received the second place award for general excellence.
In 2005, reporters, photographers and editors received more than 60 awards, including honors from two highly prestigious competitions:
The Tri-City Herald received a 2005 National Headliner Award for a series of stories on safety at the region’s Tyson Fresh Meats Inc. meat-packing plant. The story took second place in the news series category of the print division for newspapers with a circulation of up to 75,000.
Tri-City Herald reporters won four awards in Fall 2005 in the C.B. Blethen Memorial Awards, the Pacific Northwest's premier contest for journalistic achievement. In the under 50,000 circulation category, the Tyson Fresh Meats series took first place for investigative reporting, second place in deadline reporting for coverage of the slaying of Benton City coach and teacher Bob Mars, second place in enterprise reporting for a package on the plight of children whose parents are addicted to methamphetamine and second place in diversity reporting for a series of stories on Native American food gathering and traditions.
Major Advertisers: The Tri-City Herald has a strong advertiser base and maintains positive relationships with businesses. Major advertisers include Windermere Real Estate and Coldwell Banker Adams Realty; McCurley Integrity Dealerships and other auto dealers; national chains including Macy’s and Sprint; Yoke’s Fresh Markets, a regionally owned grocery store chain; Thomas Furniture; Ranch & Home; and area hospitals.
Creative Ventures: The Tri-City Herald’s interactive media department works closely with the newsroom and other departments. The collaboration results in innovative online offerings such as video support of breaking news stories not normally found at a mid-sized newspaper.
Special Publications: Wine Press Northwest is a quarterly consumer magazine mailed to subscribers worldwide. The full-color, glossy publication started in 1998 and has a press run of 14,000. Wine Press exclusively covers the Pacific Northwest wine industry – Washington, Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia – including articles on winemakers, wine touring, reviews of new releases, wine and food matching, advice for beginners and blind judgings of varietals. It is produced by the Tri-City Herald’s interactive media department and printed at Journal Graphics in Portland, Ore. Annual subscriptions cost $10. The magazine’s website is www.winepressnw.com.
The Tri-City Herald’s advertising department produces several special sections throughout the year, including Parade of Homes, spring and fall Home & Garden, season opening sections for the three pro sports teams, the monthly Prime Life tab for retirees, and many others. For more information on special publications, call Advertising Director Dave Gilchrist at 509-582-1460.
Well-Known Newsroom Personality: Our newsroom personalities primarily gain their popularity from blogs, video casts and specialty publications. State government reporter Chris Mulick writes the “Olympia Dispatch” blog. Andy Perdue, Wine Press Northwest editor and interactive media director, is in demand as a speaker about the wine industry and is known for his weekly online wine cast. Eric Degerman, online managing editor, is host of sportstricities.com video shows – especially popular during high school football season.
Community Involvement: The Tri-City Herald’s signature event is Kids Day, with a special edition of the newspaper sold in advance and on the street. The Kids Day partner is Catholic Family & Child Service and proceeds support local programs serving fragile children of all faiths and ethnicities. Kids Day started in 2004. The Tri-City Herald also is a strong supporter of the Mid-Columbia Reading Foundation, Junior Achievement, Hispanic Academic Achievers Program, Afro-Americans for an Academic Society, Tri-City Development Council (TRIDEC), Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce and Washington State University Tri-Cities.
Location: Major highways make it easy to drive from the Tri-Cities to several major metropolitan areas.
• Seattle – 227 miles
• Portland, Ore. – 214 miles
• Spokane, Wash. – 134 miles
• Boise, Idaho – 292 miles
• Vancouver, British Columbia – 356 miles
Transportation: The Tri-Cities Airport in Pasco is the third largest in the state. Airline service includes Horizon/Alaska Air to Seattle and Portland, United Express/SkyWest to Denver and Delta Connection/SkyWest to Salt Lake City. Ben Franklin Transit offers bus service plus “dial-a-ride” for the elderly and disabled. Greyhound Bus Lines has stations in Pasco and Prosser. Amtrak has a train station in Pasco. The Tri-City area is well connected to the region by several major highways, including Interstate 82, which links to I-90 (to Seattle) and to I-84 in Oregon (to Portland); federal highways 395 and 12; state highways 240, 14 and others.
City Population: The Richland-Kennewick-Pasco metropolitan statistical area has 218,600 residents, according to the 2005 Washington state population estimate. This is 14% population growth since the 2000 Census.
• Benton County — 158,100
Kennewick — 60,410
Prosser — 5,045
Richland — 43,520
West Richland — 10,210
• Franklin County — 60,500
Pasco — 44,190
City Households: Approximately 77,000 households in 2006.
Household Growth Rate: Estimates are 81,000 households by 2010.
Education: 31% high school graduates, 31% some college, 28% college graduate or post-graduate degree.
Ethnic Makeup: Tri-City MSA population by race/ethnicity, according to the 2000 Census: 80% white, 21.3% Hispanic origin, 12.7% other race, 3.1% two or more races, 2.1% Asian, 1.3% Black, and 0.8% American Indian.
Median Age of Adults: 44 years. 59% of adults are married and 44% have children at home under age 18.
Median Household Income: $46,700.
Median Home Value: $157,800. 74% of Tri-City adults own a home.
Average Rent: A surge in apartment construction in the past few years has provided several new complexes throughout the Tri-Cities. In spring 2006, the average monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment was about $488.
Climate: The Tri-Cities has about 300 days of sunshine a year and is in an arid desert complete with tumbleweeds. The average annual rainfall is 6 inches. Summers are hot and dry, with a July average high of 94 degrees and low of 61 degrees. Winters are cold and dry, with a January average high of 44 degrees and low of 32 degrees.
Major Employers/Industries: Battelle/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Fluor Hanford, Tyson Fresh Meats, Con Agra Lamb Weston, Lockheed Martin Information Technology, Energy Northwest, U.S. Department of Energy, Broetje Orchards, AgriNorthwest, hospitals and local governments.
Major Retailers: Macy’s, JC Penney, Sears, Burlington Coat Factory, Gap, Old Navy, Toys R Us, Target, Pier One Imports, Bed Bath and Beyond, Michael’s, Craft Warehouse, Walgreen’s, Rite Aid, PetSmart, Office Depot, Circuit City, Fred Meyer, Albertsons, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Wal-Mart, Abercrombie & Fitch, American Eagle Outfitters, The Children’s Place, Eddie Bauer, Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Best Buy, Office Max, Staples, G.I. Joe’s, Sportsman’s Warehouse and more. To open in 2007: Talbots, Chico’s and Coldwater Creek upscale women’s clothing stores. Columbia Center mall in Kennewick serves a 90-mile radius and is owned by Simon Property Group.
Higher Learning: Washington State University Tri-Cities branch campus in Richland offers graduate degrees and four-year degrees, including some in conjunction with Columbia Basin (Community) College in Pasco. Other universities within a two-hour drive include Washington State University in Pullman, Whitman College and Walla Walla College in Walla Walla, Heritage University in Toppenish and Central Washington University in Ellensburg.
Culture: The Tri-Cities has about 20 small museums and art galleries. The most prominent are the Allied Arts Gallery and CREHST (Columbia River Exhibition of History Science and Technology), which includes a permanent detailed display on the history of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. Community music and theater groups put on several performances per year. This includes the Academy of Children’s Theatre, the Richland Players, the Richland Light Opera, the Mid-Columbia Symphony and the Mid-Columbia Ballet. The community college has several productions, including an outdoor summer theater, and the high schools have strong arts programs resulting in quality plays and concerts.
Sports: Strong community support for youth and high school sports, with many boys and girls teams performing well at the state level. Stellar athletic facilities bring many regional and state tournaments to the Tri-Cities. Minor league sports teams are the Tri-City Americans hockey club (Western Hockey League), Tri-City Dust Devils baseball team (Northwest League of Professional Baseball, affiliated with the Colorado Rockies) and the Tri-Cities Fever indoor football team (2005 National Indoor Football League champions).
Major Annual Events: Custer’s Arts & Crafts Show, March and November; Lit Fest, May-June; Cinco de Mayo; two large July 4th celebrations; Tri-City Water Follies hydroplane races, late July; Allied Arts Sidewalk Show, late July; Benton-Franklin Fair & Rodeo, late August; Fiery Foods Festival, September; Parade of Homes, September; and various wine events year-round.
Tourist Attractions: The Tri-Cities is in the heart of Washington wine country, with more than 180 wineries within a two-hour drive. The Playground of Dreams in Kennewick’s Columbia Park is a popular stop for families with young children.
Efforts are underway to construct the Hanford Reach Interpretive Center, a regional aquatic center and to preserve Hanford’s B Reactor as a public museum.
Recreation: With 300 days of sunshine, the Tri-Cities has a lot of offer those who enjoy the outdoors. The community has 99 public parks and 10 golf courses – with nearly year-round play available. The Columbia, Snake and Yakima rivers offer boating, water sports and fishing. The 22-mile paved Sacagawea Heritage Trail is popular with bicyclists, runners, walkers and roller bladers. Hunting and hiking opportunities also abound.
Nightlife: Several wine bars and winery tasting rooms offer classy evening entertainment.
Claim to Fame: The federally operated Hanford Nuclear Reservation is north of Richland. The “area,” as it’s called by locals, has an intriguing history based in the secrecy of World War II’s Manhattan Project and the Cold War. The 560-square-mile Hanford site is where the plutonium was made for the world’s first atomic explosion in New Mexico and for the “Fat Man” atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki – hastening the end of World War II. Plutonium production stopped in the 1980s. Hanford now is a massive cleanup and environmental restoration project, employing thousands of workers and scientists. Hanford has been a major part of the Tri-City economy from the day in 1944 when 50,000 workers converted a small farming town into a government metropolis.
Famous Citizens:
Trivia: The Lewis & Clark Expedition camped at the confluence of the Columbia and Snake rivers – modern-day Pasco – in October 1805 on the way to the Pacific Ocean.
Area Information: Tri-Cities Visitor & Convention Bureau, www.visittri-cities.com, 800-254-5824.
Recent Issues of the Newspaper: Tri-City Herald customer service department, 509-582-1500 or 800-874-0445.
The McClatchy Company