About
More Than a Century of Journalism
The State Media Company was founded on February 18, 1891 by the Gonzales brothers (N.G., Ambrose and William). The name and the state tree, the Palmetto, which accompanies the name, symbolized the brothers' commitment to the state of South Carolina.
Sons of an aristocratic planter's daughter and a Cuban revolutionary who also was a Confederate colonel, the Gonzales brothers wanted to create a powerful voice and led the newspaper to become the largest and most influential in the state.
The newspaper was family-owned until 1986, when it was purchased by Knight Ridder. It was bought by The McClatchy Company in 2006.
Key Executives
Henry Haitz III, President & Publisher
Mark Lett; VP & Executive Editor
Diane Frea, VP/Human Resources
Kelly Edwards, VP/ Finance
Phil Haggerty, VP/Operations
Caryn Manning, VP/Advertising
Matthew Ipsan, VP/Interactive Media
Gary Ward, Online Editor
Warren Bolton, Associate Editor
Derek Lawson, Information Technology Site Manager
South Carolina’s Largest Newspaper
The Market:
The State newspaper has an average daily circulation of 97,950 and an average Sunday circulation of 125,149. We are a statewide capital city newspaper (Columbia is the state capital of South Carolina) and are the largest newspaper in the state.
TheState.com, Gogamecocks.com and our other web sites are South Carolina's most trafficked online news sources, with an average of 1.4 million unique visitors per month and more than 11.5 million average page views per month for the first seven months of 2009. (Source: Omniture). We are CareerBuilder.com, Cars.com, Apts.com and Shop Local affiliates.
In August 2006, The State launched gogamecocks.com, an online website devoted to sports at the University of South Carolina. Content features include after-practice reports during football season, press conference audio and video, wallpapers and screensavers, a focus on recruiting, and outstanding, exclusive coverage by The State's award-winning sports reporting team. The State's Sports department also produces three premium magazines each year (gogamecocks.com, the magazine). The State also publishes Lake Murray magazine and Lake Murray Magazine-Northeast monthly, as well as the Carolina Bride magazine twice yearly.
Our weekly Total Market Coverage allows advertisers full market penetration, and we also have Target Market capabilities.
Reach:
McClatchy Company, our parent company, owns four other newspapers in SC (Rock Hill, Myrtle Beach, Beaufort and Hilton Head). McClatchy also owns the Charlotte Observer and Raleigh News and Observer in North Carolina, as well as newspapers across the country from Anchorage to Miami.
Site:
A 260,000-square-foot building, completed in 1988, three miles south of downtown. The State also serves as a printing site for USA Today, the Daily Gamecock and The Item (Sumter, SC).
Honors
Our journalistic quality has been recognized repeatedly across the country and state, most recently as one of the top ten in the country for Sports, Features and Business sections. We also have won awards for watchdog journalism, like the APME First Amendment award for articles detailing the unauthorized public spending for the excavation, recovery and preservation of sunken Confederate submarine, the H. L. Hunley.
Our strengths are in our outstanding journalism covering local news, University of South Carolina and Clemson athletics, and state and local politics.
Recent Awards
E.A. Ramsaur Memorial Award for Editorial Writing -– this is the highest prize the South Carolina Press Association awards for newspaper editorial writing and it was awarded to our Associate Editor, Warren Bolton.
Taylor-Tomlin Award for Investigative Reporting -- For articles revealing a failing culture inside South Carolina's agency responsible for protecting public health and the environment.
National Headliners Award, Environmental Reporting -- For articles about shortcomings inside South Carolina's Department of Health and Environmental Control.
Public Service and General Excellence -- South Carolina Press Association for photography and reporting on conditions in South Carolina's poorer school districts. The State has been recognized as South Carolina's most outstanding newspaper for a a decade.
Newspaper Design -- The State won three Awards of Excellence from the international Society for News Design. No other South Carolina newspaper was honored by SND.
Photography -- The State won top honors as "Staff of the Year" and C. Aluka Berry was honored as "Photographer of the Year" and "Best in Show" in the annual contest of the South Carolina News Photographers Association. In all, State photographers swept 12 categories.
Sports -- The State was chosen among North America's "Top 10" for Sunday and Daily sports sections in competition hosted by the Associated Press Sports Editors. Work by Ron Morris and Pat Obley won for writing awards from APSE.
First Amendment Award -- by the Associated Press Managing Editors for reporting on the cost of the Hunley submarine project.
Public Service and General Excellence -- South Carolina Press Association for reporting on drunken driving and teen drinking in South Carolina. The State received top honors in 22 categories, more than any other South Carolina newspaper.
Newspaper Design -- The State won six Awards of Excellence from the international Society for News Design. No other South Carolina newspaper was honored by SND.
Photography -- The State's Gerry Melendez was selected as "Photographer of the Year" in annual judging for the South Carolina News Photographers Association. The State's C. Aluka Berry won "Best in Show" and State photographers won top honors in six categories, more than any other South Carolina newspaper.
Sports -- The State was chosen among North America's "Top 10" for Sunday and special sports sections in annual competition hosted by the Associated Press Sports Editors. Staffers Kent Babb, Joseph Person, Bob Spear, Craig McHugh and Ron Morris were among "Top 10" for their work, as well.
Features -- The State was selected as one of North America's "Top 10" features sections in judging by the American Association of Sunday and Features Editors.
McClatchy President's Award -- The State received a President's award for its coverage of drunken driving and teen drinking in semi-annual competition among some 30 newspapers operated by The McClatchy Company. In the Carolinas, McClatchy operates newspapers based in Columbia, Myrtle Beach, Beaufort, Hilton Head, Charlotte and Raleigh.
Editorial Cartoons -- The State's Robert Ariail won top honors for editorial cartoons in the 2007 Green Eyeshade journalism contest conducted by the Society of Professional Journalists. Ariail's work was judged best among competitors eligible from 11 southeastern states. Ariail is a five-time winner of the award.
Real Estate -- The State's Sunday real estate section -- Your Home -- won top honors in the newspaper competition conducted by the National Association of Real Estate Writers and Editors. The section is coordinated by Kristy Rupon, The State's real estate reporter.
Community Involvement
The State is involved in a wide variety of community events through sponsorships and participation in board membership, including support of The United Way, Palmetto Health Foundation Walk for Life - Steps Against Breast Cancer and the Festival of Food and Wines supporting the Central Carolina Community Foundation.
About the Community
Columbia, The State Capital:
Geographically, Columbia is in the center of the state, with a two-hour drive from either the Atlantic coast or the Blue Ridge Mountains, and about halfway between New York City and Miami, with easy access to Interstate highways. Not just the center of state government, Columbia is also home to the main campus of the University of South Carolina (27,000 students) and to Fort Jackson, the largest Army training base in the country.
Area Adult Population: 771,700
5-Year Projected: 804,898
Area Households: 396,400
5-Year Projected: 416,200
Occupational Categories:
White Collar - 265,174;
Blue Collar - 106, 185
Top 15 Industries: Public Administration, Retail Trade, Health Care and Social Assistance, Manufacturing, Educational Services, Accommodation and Food Services, Other Services, Wholesale Trade, Construction, Professional Scientific and Tech Services, Finance and Insurance, Information, Admin Support and Waste Management, Real Estate Rental and Leasing, Transportation and Warehousing.
Total Retail Sales: $13,409,357
Buying Power Index: .2918
Culture
Koger Center for the Arts, a $15 million complex; The Columbia Museum of Art; South Carolina State Museum; Carolina Coliseum; the new Colonial Center; 11 theater groups including professional theater; professional ballet troupe and numerous other dance companies; opera; symphony; The Township, which has hosted cultural events in Columbia since 1929.
Quick Facts
The State is owned by The McClatchy Company.
Location:
1401 Shop Road
Columbia, SC 29201-4843 (MAP)
Mailing address:
P.O. Box 1333
Columbia, SC 29202-1333
Main switchboard:
(800) 888-5353
Advertising:
Retail 803-771-8338, Classified 803-771-SOLD
Circulation:
To start a subscription or to inquire about delivery: 800-888-3566
Newsroom Hiring:
Executive Editor Mark Lett: 803-771-8451 or mlett@thestate.com
General Hiring:
VP/Human Resources Diane Frea: 803-771-8350 or dfrea@thestate.com
View Current Openings
More about Columbia, SC:
Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce
930 Richland Street
Columbia, SC 29201
803-733-1110
