17 West 12th St. Columbus, GA 31902 706-324-5526 www.Ledger-Enquirer.com The Paper The Community

Mission Statement/Motto: More. Local. Every day.

Founded: The Ledger-Enquirer was first published under is current nameplate Jan. 18, 1988, when the morning edition, the Columbus Enquirer, merged with the afternoon edition, the Columbus Ledger.

The Columbus Enquirer was founded in 1828 while the city was still in the planning stages. The Columbus Ledger, founded in 1886, was purchased in 1893 by R.W. Page, grandfather of former Knight Ridder Chairman and CEO Alvah H. Chapman Jr. The R.W. Page Corp. purchased the Enquirer in 1930. Knight Newspapers acquired the company in 1973. In 2006, The McClatchy Company assumed ownership of the Ledger-Enquirer when it acquired the Knight Ridder company. In 2009, the Ledger-Enquirer and Macon Telegraph created a regional production and printing facility based in Columubs. Now, the Columbus facility prints the Macon Telegraph along with the Ledger-Enquirer each day.

The Columbus Riverwalk, a paved walking and biking trail along the Chattahoochee River, is one of the more popular features of downtown Columbus. Construction began on the Riverwalk in 1989 and, when completed, will stretch 20 continuous miles from the Lake Oliver Marina to the Fort Benning Infantry Museum.

Key Executives:
Valerie Canepa, President and Publisher
Ben Holden, Vice President and Executive Editor
Rodney Mahone, Vice President, Advertising
John Kelly, Vice President, Circulation and Printing Operations
Ronny Graves, Finance Manager
Heather Williams, Vice President, Marketing

General Hiring Contact: Job listings can be found at www.ledger-enquirer.com/careerbuilder. The human resources manager is Regina Torbett. Mail resumes to Ledger-Enquirer, Human Resources Department, 17 West 12th St., Columbus, GA 31902. Or e-mail inquiries to rtorbett@ledger-enquirer.com.

Distinction: The Ledger-Enquirer is the dominant newspaper in the market, based on all measures of readership reach and frequency. Ledger-Enquirer.com is the most visited media website in the Columbus area.

The Ledger-Enquirer reaches more people every day than any other news source. The Ledger-Enquirer is considered the most useful source of advertising information in this market, both overall and for a variety of categories of goods and services. The Ledger-Enquirer, coupled with Ledger-Enquirer.com, reaches 85 percent of the market -- or eight of 10 adults -- in a 30-day period.

Market: The economy has transitioned from dependence on textile manufacturing to a balanced economy, including rapid growth in financial services. Columbus has the largest public-sector project in the state of Georgia; the base realignment and closure of the Armor Center and School, which will move operations from Fort Knox to Fort Benning and bring an anticipated 33,000 residents and 11,000 military and civilian jobs. In addition, Columbus has the second-largest private-sector project with Aflac's $100 million call center campus expansion, which will create 2,000 jobs in the next five to seven years.

Circulation Area: A 19-county area in west central Georgia and east Alabama

Site: The Ledger-Enquirer is housed in a 174,000-square-foot facility in downtown Columbus. Expansion over the years has created a complex of three buildings -- a 1931 Chapman building, a 1971 Page building and a 1989 Ashworth building.

The Columbus, Ga., team celebrates after winning the Little League World series in 2006.

Readership: The Ledger-Enquirer has an average daily readership of 111,305 and Sunday readership of 134,510.

Circulation: The Ledger-Enquirer has an average daily circulation of 35,054 and a Sunday circulation of 43,427. The Ledger-Enquirer also prints the Bayonet, a weekly newspaper serving the Fort Benning community with a distribution of 21,000, and Her Magazine, a monthly women's specialty magazine, with a distribution of 12,500.

Size: The Ledger-Enquirer averages 44 pages daily and 63 pages on Sunday.

Single-Copy Sales: 20% daily average; 19% Saturday; 33% Sunday average

Production: Press HO (Headerliner Offset); purchased in 1989

Color: Capacity to run 16 full-color pages and 16 spot-color pages

Newspaper Website: www.Ledger-Enquirer.com, the most visited media website in the Columbus area.

Average Monthly Page Views/Unique Visitors: 569,220 average visitors; 2.4 million average monthly page views (December 2009); 4.8 million year-to-date unique visitors (2009)

Other Websites: www.thebayonet.com

Employees: The Ledger-Enquirer employs 136 full-time and 36 part-time employees.

Newsroom Staff: The Ledger-Enquirer newsroom has 42 full-time employees.

Major Awards:

Two Pulitzer Prizes, in 1955 and 1926, for Meritorious Public Service

Every year, the Ledger-Enquirer claims multiple prizes in the state's top newspaper competitions:

• Georgia Press Association, 2009 Awards
• First place, business coverage, Chuck Williams
• First place, feature writing, Brad Barnes
• First place, investigative reporting, Dimon Kendrick-Holmes and Jim Houston
• First place, spot news photo, Mike Haskey
• First place, editorial cartoonist, Don Coker
• Second place, newspaper illustration, Don Coker
• Second place, serious column, Dusty Nix
• Third place, business coverage, Tony Adams
• Third place, serious column, Tim Chitwood
• Third place, spot news photo, Mike Haskey
• GP/AP 2009 Awards
• First place, best freedom of information: "Victory in Public Records Battle," Staff
• First place, non-deadline reporting: "Whispers in the Hallway," Jim Houston, Dimon Kendrick-Holmes
• First place, business: "The Rise & Fall of Bill Heard," Tony Adams
• First place, best graphics & illustrations: "Penny War," Don Coker
• First place, best sports action photo: "Football," Robin Trimarchi
• Second place, best business: "Feeling the Pinch," Tony Adams, Chuck Williams
• Second place, best beat reporting: "Automotive Beat," Chuck Williams
• Second place, best spot news photo: "Devastated," Mike Haskey
• Second place, best feature photo: "Carted Around," Shannon Szwarc
• Second place, best sports feature photo: "Tiger Loss," Robin Trimarchi
• Third place, best deadline reporting: "Devastated," Staff
• Third place, best editorial writing: "There's No Lily Here in Gild," Dusty Nix
• Third place, best graphics & illustrations: "Jerry Seinfeld," Don Coker

Nothing says fall like the start of high school football. Here, a quarterback tries to maintain his balance while stepping past a defender. The Ledger-Enquirer and the Macon Telegraph work together to cover the region's college football teams, the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Auburn, and the University of Alabama.

Major Advertisers: The Columbus/Phenix City market is home to a number of local retail stores and businesses, including JD Kinder's (local furniture store); Dillard's; Publix; Jay Auto Group (local auto dealer); Carl Gregory Automotive; HH Gregg; Macy's; Piggly Wiggly (local grocery store chain); JC Penney; Raymond Rowe (local furniture store)

Special Publications: The Ledger-Enquirer constantly seeks out new publishing opportunities to expand its customer base. Among the current creative ventures: The monthly publication of Her Magazine, a women's general interest magazine; the hosting of popular trade shows and events such as a twice-yearly Bridal Expo, and annual Taste of Home Cooking School and the launch of nearly a dozen staff blogs. Other specialty products include:

• Better Health and Living -- quarterly glossy health publication; inserted and racked
• Northland Neighbors -- geographically targeted; midweek TMC publication; mailed/carrier delivered; rack copies available
• This Week's Homes and More -- weekly real estate publication; published in the Ledger-Enquirer on Sundays; available in racks
• East Alabama News -- geographically targeted; midweek TMC publication; mailed/carrier delivered; rack copies available

Well-Known Newsroom Personalities: The Ledger-Enquirer is proud to publish the work of some of the region's premier journalists. Among them: news columnist and reporter Tim Chitwood; business reporter Tony Adams; editorial writer Dusty Nix; nightlife reporter Sonya Sorich; arts and entertainment reporter Sandra Okamoto. Retired but still supplying commentary to the paper are Richard Hyatt, a published author and local historian, and columnist Kaffie Sledge.

Community Involvement: The Ledger-Enquirer has a long history of community service. Each year, the Ledger-Enquirer provides monetary, advertising and volunteer assistance to nonprofit organizations in the community.

• The Ledger-Enquirer has held an annual Page One Awards for 34 years, which deliver approximately $20,000 each spring to the area's best high school seniors. Through 2009, 6,665 extraordinary students and teachers had received recognition for their scholarship, achievements and service to others.
• Each winter, the Ledger-Enquirer hosts the Holiday Help program by which needy families are connected with individuals who want to help.
• The Ledger-Enquirer supports the local United Way through employee giving and company contributions each year.

The Ledger-Enquirer also is a sponsor of many of the area's most successful events, including Thunder in the Valley air show, the Greater Columbus Fair, Steeplechase, the Altrusa Book Sale and the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce Business Expo.

The Community

A lieutenant at Fort Benning waves goodbye as she and her unit deploy to Afghanistan. The Ledger-Enquirer partners with the Army to publish the Bayonet, a weekly newspaper for the Fort Benning community. Fort Benning is a 182,000-acre U.S. Army post that supports more than 120,000 active duty military, reservists, civilians and family members.

The Market: Located on the Chattahoochee River, on the border of Georgia and Alabama, the area is the economic, industrial and medical hub of a 16-county trading zone in west Georgia and east Alabama. Columbus has a widely diversified economy in manufacturing and service-sector jobs. Both Aflac and Carmike have their corporate headquarters in Columbus.

The area is also attractive to new industry. NCR Corp., a Fortune 500 company that primarily manufactures automated teller machines (ATMs) for banks and other financial institutions around the world, has opened a 340,000-square-foot ATM assembly plant in the Corporate Ridge Business Park, where it expects to employ 870 people within three years, with annual salaries ranging from $30,000 to $85,000. When its Georgia build-out is complete, NCR will employ more than 3,000 in the state.

Kia Motors, the second-largest automaker in South Korea, has opened its first U.S. assembly plant in West Point, Ga., along the Georgia-Alabama border about 45 minutes north of Columbus. The company will manufacture the Sorento crossover vehicle, but is expected to add a sedan at some point. Kia expects to employ more than 2,500 at its sprawling $1 billion, 2.1 million-square-foot plant when it reaches full capacity. Kia parts suppliers clustering in counties around the main factory will add an estimated several thousand workers by 2010.

Location: 90 minutes from Atlanta; four hours from the Florida Gulf Coast and five hours from the Smoky Mountains

Transportation: Columbus Metro Airport; Columbus Shuttle and Groome shuttle service to Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta

The new National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center, located in Columbus, Ga., opened on June 19, 2009, and has become a popular tourist attraction.

Columbus NDM Population: 280,689

Columbus NDM Households: 101,314

Household Growth Rate: 1.75% annualized growth through 2011

Education:
15% have some high school education
79% have high school degrees
23% have some college education
24% have college degrees

Ethnic Makeup: 54% white; 40% African American; 6% other

Median Age: 34.2

Household Income:
36% have household income less than $25,000
32% have household income between $25,00-$49,000
25% have household income between $50,000 and $100,000
7% have household income above $100,000

Median Home Value: Columbus -- $134,500; Phenix City -- $152,900

Average Rent: $575

Climate: Mild year-round; average temperature, January low of 40 degrees, June high of 87 degrees; average rainfall 4.5 inches per month in spring, 1.7 inches per month in winter

Major Employers/Industries: Fort Benning (9,047 civilian employees total); Synovus and TSYS (12,000); Aflac (4,000 locally); Columbus government (2,700); Muscogee County School District (6,300); Columbus Regional Healthcare Systems (3,400); St. Francis (1,800); Kia (2,500)

A Columbus State University cheerleader tries a few flips on a trampoline. To help revive the city's main hub, CSU moved two of its colleges downtown.

Major Retailers: Lowe's, The Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Dillard's, Macy's, JCPenney, Target, Kohl's, Sears, Publix, Walgreen's, Winn-Dixie, Best Buy, Dick's Sporting Goods

Higher Learning: Columbus State University, Troy State University, Chattahoochee Valley Community College, Columbus Technical College, Georgia Military College, Georgia Southwestern State University, LaGrange College, Southern Union State Community College, West Georgia Technical College, Auburn University

Culture: RiverCenter for the Performing Arts; Columbus Symphony; Springer Opera House; Columbus Museum; Columbus College Southeastern Music Center; Liberty Theatre, Port Columbus, National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center

Sports: Columbus Cottonmouths (professional hockey); Columbus Lions (arena football); Home of the 2006 Little League World Champions

Major Annual Events: Miss Georgia Pageant; Indian Cultural Festival; Callaway Gardens Fantasy in Lights; Masters Water Ski Tournament; Steeplechase; ASA National Girls Softball Championship; GHSA Cheerleading State Championship; Sky High Hot Air Balloon Festival; Southeastern Amateur Golf Tournament

Tourist Attractions: Callaway Gardens; Port Columbus Civil War Naval Museum; FDR's Little White House; Fort Benning Infantry Center and Museum; Westville; Providence Canyon; Pine Mountain Wild Animal Safari; Coca Cola Space Science Center; National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center; Historic Fort Mitchell

Recreation: Golf, fishing, boating, hiking, hunting, bicycling. Columbus has the nation's largest public clay court tennis facility at Cooper Creek Tennis Center.

Nightlife: Broadway Street in downtown Columbus boasts bars, casual eateries, nightclubs and coffee shops that draw large crowds on weekends. There's also Columbus Symphony; Springer Opera House; RiverCenter for the Performing Arts; Liberty Theatre

Claim to Fame: Columbus is the birthplace of the Coca-Cola formula; the pharmacist who discovered Coke once lived here. The city is also home to Royal Crown Cola and Nehi. The song "Columbus Stockade Blues" was written here and it was the site of the last land battle of the Civil War. Segments of many war movies, including "We Were Soldiers Once," "Green Berets," and "Black Hawk Down" were filmed at Fort Benning.

Famous People Who Once Lived in Columbus: Country musician Chet Atkins; author Carson McCullers; blues singer Ma Rainey; philanthropist George Foster Peabody; golfer Larry Mize; pro baseball player Frank Thomas; painter Bo Bartlett, pro baseball player Tim Hudson; American Idol season one runner-up Justin Guarini

Trivia: First consolidated government in Georgia; home of Swift Spinning, the world's fourth-largest producer of denim; the Columbus Symphony Orchestra was the third symphony formed in the nation; site of the first factory in the world to produce ice machines; one of the first cities in the South to maintain a full-time recreation department as part of its city government

Area Information:
Columbus Chamber of Commerce
P.O. Box 1200
Columbus, GA 31902
706-327-1566
www.columbusgachamber.com

Recent Issues of the Newspaper:
Veronica Dozier
Ledger-Enquirer
P.O. Box 711
Columbus, GA 31901-0711
706-324-5526, Ext. 383

Recent Issues of the Newspaper:
Debi Goodson
Ledger-Enquirer
P.O. Box 711
Columbus, GA 31901-0711
706-324-5526, Ext. 303

(This profile was last updated on Jan. 25, 2010)

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