The Roanoke Times
Encyclopedia
The Roanoke Times is the primary newspaper in Southwestern Virginia
and is based in Roanoke, Virginia
, United States
. It is published by Landmark Media Enterprises. The Roanoke Times has an office in Richmond, Virginia
, and maintains a bureau in Christiansburg
, covering the eastern New River Valley
and Virginia Tech.
According to Scarborough’s “Ranker Report,” produced every six months, The Roanoke Times ranks first in the country in terms of percentage of adults reading a newspaper on weekdays in that newspaper's coverage area.
On January 3, 2008, it was reported that the family-owned Landmark Communications, parent company of the Times, may be for sale. A subsequent sale by Landmark Communications of its wildly successful Weather Channel gave rise to reports that the rest of the parent company of The Roanoke Times might be dismembered.
"Roanoke Times" started 1889, "Roanoke Evening News" 1903 - 1912 name changed to "Roanoke World News" 1913 - 1991
From 1991, the newspaper was known as The Roanoke Times & World-News. Prior to 1991, the morning Roanoke Times and the afternoon Roanoke World-News published separate editions.
, The Roanoke Times has extensively covered news events from the area that have gained national media exposure. Some examples include:
communities of Blacksburg
, Christiansburg
and Montgomery County, Virginia
.
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
and is based in Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke is an independent city in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. state of Virginia and is the tenth-largest city in the Commonwealth. It is located in the Roanoke Valley of the Roanoke Region of Virginia. The population within the city limits was 97,032 as of 2010...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is published by Landmark Media Enterprises. The Roanoke Times has an office in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, and maintains a bureau in Christiansburg
Christiansburg, Virginia
Christiansburg is a town in Montgomery County, Virginia, United States. The population was 21,041 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Montgomery County...
, covering the eastern New River Valley
New River Valley
The New River Valley is a region in the eastern United States along the New River in the Commonwealth of Virginia . The valley comprises the counties of Montgomery , Pulaski, Floyd, Giles and the independent City of Radford...
and Virginia Tech.
According to Scarborough’s “Ranker Report,” produced every six months, The Roanoke Times ranks first in the country in terms of percentage of adults reading a newspaper on weekdays in that newspaper's coverage area.
On January 3, 2008, it was reported that the family-owned Landmark Communications, parent company of the Times, may be for sale. A subsequent sale by Landmark Communications of its wildly successful Weather Channel gave rise to reports that the rest of the parent company of The Roanoke Times might be dismembered.
History
Started in the late 1800s, earlier paper names included Big Lick, Roanoke Leader 1882 -1886"Roanoke Times" started 1889, "Roanoke Evening News" 1903 - 1912 name changed to "Roanoke World News" 1913 - 1991
From 1991, the newspaper was known as The Roanoke Times & World-News. Prior to 1991, the morning Roanoke Times and the afternoon Roanoke World-News published separate editions.
Notable stories
As the major daily newspaper for Roanoke and much of Southwest VirginiaSouthwest Virginia
Southwest Virginia, often abbreviated as SWVA, is a mountainous region of Virginia in the westernmost part of the commonwealth. Southwest Virginia has been defined alternatively as all Virginia counties on the Appalachian Plateau, all Virginia counties west of the Eastern Continental Divide, or...
, The Roanoke Times has extensively covered news events from the area that have gained national media exposure. Some examples include:
- International Marketing & Engineering Inc., investigated by The Roanoke Times, 1979, subsequently featured by Harry ReasonerHarry ReasonerHarry Truman Reasoner was an American journalist for ABC and CBS News, known for his inventive use of language as a television commentator, and as a founder of the 60 Minutes program.-Biography:...
in a CBS 60 Minutes60 Minutes60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
report on the company engaged in deceptive sales practices, whose officers were later sentenced to federal prison. The Roanoke Times was awarded the Virginia Press Association's W. S. Copeland Award for Journalistic Integrity and Community Service, its highest, for the investigation. - The November 4, 1985, flood that caused extensive damage around Roanoke and left 10 people dead.
- The September 22, 2000, shooting at the Backstreet Cafe in downtown Roanoke motivated by the assailant's hatred of the establishment's gay and lesbian clientele.
- The April 16, 2007, shootingVirginia Tech massacreThe Virginia Tech massacre was a school shooting that took place on April 16, 2007, on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States. In two separate attacks, approximately two hours apart, the perpetrator, Seung-Hui Cho, killed 32 people...
at Virginia Tech, which claimed 32 lives. - The February, 2008 resignation of Roanoke City councilman Alfred Dowe. Dowe resigned after The Roanoke Times obtained documents showing the he billed taxpayers twice for some of the nearly $15,000 he spent in 2007 on meals and travel.
Notable writers, columnists and editors
- Bill BrillBill BrillWilliam "Bill" Brill was an American sportswriter and author. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and spent his youth in Middlesex County, Virginia. Brill attended Duke University before began his sports writing career with the Covington Virginian in 1952...
, writer and columnist 1956-1991, sports editor 1960-1991 - Ben Beagle, columnist
- John Walter Eure, longtime 20th-century editor 1946-77
New River Valley Current
The Roanoke Times also publishes The New River Valley Current, a daily insert to the Roanoke Times distributed in the New River ValleyNew River Valley
The New River Valley is a region in the eastern United States along the New River in the Commonwealth of Virginia . The valley comprises the counties of Montgomery , Pulaski, Floyd, Giles and the independent City of Radford...
communities of Blacksburg
Blacksburg, Virginia
Blacksburg is an incorporated town located in Montgomery County, Virginia, United States, with a population of 42,620 at the 2010 census. Blacksburg, Christiansburg, and Radford are the three principal jurisdictions of the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford Metropolitan Statistical Area which...
, Christiansburg
Christiansburg, Virginia
Christiansburg is a town in Montgomery County, Virginia, United States. The population was 21,041 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Montgomery County...
and Montgomery County, Virginia
Montgomery County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 83,629 people, 30,997 households, and 17,203 families residing in the county. The population density was 215 people per square mile . There were 32,527 housing units at an average density of 84 per square mile...
.