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 nation and state, most recently as one of the top ten in the country for Sports and Business sections.
Our strengths are in our outstanding visual journalism and our coverage of local news, University of South Carolina, and state and local politics.
South Carolina’s Most Honored Newspaper
Among The State’s most recent awards for outstanding journalism:
SPORTS
Associated Press Sports Editors
Winner of the “Triple Crown” as one of the nation’s “Top 10” newspapers for daily, Sunday and special Sports sections. Also honored as “Top 10” for explanatory sports writing: Seth Emerson and Bob Gillespie.
VISUAL JOURNALISM
Society for News Design – Four “Awards of Excellence” for photography and page design
-Photography/Multiple Photos Project Page or Spread:, Gerry Melendez, photographer; Tom Peyton, visual editor; Chuck Dye, photo editor; Kelly Cobb, designer
-Photography/Single Photos (Sports), C. Aluka Berry
-Photography/Single Photos (Sports), Erik Campos
-Photography/Single Photos (General news, planned):, Chuck Dye, photo editor, C. Aluka Berry, photographer
-Photography/Multiple Photos Project Page or Spread, Tom Peyton, visual editor; Gerry Melendez, photographer; Susan Ardis, designer; Chuck Dye, photo editor
South Carolina News Photographers Association – Nine First Place awards
-Photo Staff of the Year
-Photographer of the Year, Gerry Melendez
-Best in Show: Gerry Melendez
-Multimedia: Gerry Melendez
-Sports Picture Story, Gerry Melendez
-Feature Picture Story, Gerry Melendez
-Picture Package, Gerry Melendez
-Feature Photo, C. Aluka Berry
-Photo Illustration, Kim Kim Foster-Tobin
Photography, Editor & Publisher
-Sports Photography, C. Aluka Berry
Photography, Southern Newspaper Publishers Association
-Feature Photography, Gerry Melendez
Photography, Southern Short Course in News Photography
-Feature Photography, Gerry Melendez
BUSINESS
Society of American Business Writers and Editors
National “Best in Business” awards for The State’s Business section and for enterprise story reporting on “How the Boeing Deal was Done,” by Andrew Shain, Roddie Burris, John O’Connor, Gina Smith and Jeff Wilkinson
NEWS EXCELLENCE
McClatchy President’s Award
The State received a President’s Award for its coverage of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, his disappearance and his scandalous, extra-marital affair. Team members were: John O’Connor, Gina Smith, Leroy Chapman, Steve Brook, Roddie Burris, Wayne Washington, Jeff Wilkinson and Adam Beam. The award honors journalistic excellence among some 30 newspapers operated by The McClatchy Company. In the Carolinas, McClatchy operates newspapers based in Columbia, Charlotte, Raleigh, Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head/Beaufort and Rock Hill.
Inland Newspapers Association
First Place awards for:
-Front Page
-Explanatory Reporting
-Feature Photography
-Sports Photography
Society of Professional Journalists
(Southern states), Public Affairs Reporting: John Monk, Sammy Fretwell, Eileen Waddell
Taylor-Tomlin Award for Investigative Journalism
University of South Carolina: John Monk, Sammy Fretwell, Eileen Waddell
Southern Newspaper Publishers Association – Local Reporting
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
