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 Media Company publishes The State newspaper, which has an average daily circulation of 87,384 and an average Sunday circulation of 111,588. 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 is the flagship online news and information website for The State Media Company. From local news to politics, entertainment to weather, thestate.com keeps South Carolina residents informed and up to date. Whether online, through e-mail or on your phone, thestate.com delivers the news you need when you want it.

Thestate.com along with the award-winning Gogamecocks.com and our network of web sites are South Carolina's most popular online news sources, with an average of nearly 1.5 million unique visitors per month and more than 12.5 million average page views per month. (Source: Omniture). We are the official local CareerBuilder.com, Cars.com and Apts.com affiliate.

In August 2010, GoGamecocks.com, a website devoted to sports at the University of South Carolina, was re-launched with new features and content. Content features include coverage of games and practice, press conference audio and video, exclusive interviews with players, coaches and recruits. Complete recruiting coverage, on athletes from the Palmetto State and student-athletes that South Carolina is recruiting. Text alerts from Gamecock games and breaking news stories keep Gamecock fans in the know at all times. For the die-hard Gamecock fan, GoGamecocks.com is available from anywhere, via the internet or mobile. GoGamecocks.com represents outstanding, exclusive coverage by The State's award-winning sports reporting team.

The State Media Company also produces three premium magazines each year focused on Gamecock sports (GoGamecocks 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.

McClatchy Company, our parent company, owns four other media properties 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:

South Carolina Press Association
-General Excellence
-Sweepstakes Winner
-Journalist of the Year, John O’Connor, “Sanford Coverage”
-Best Web Site, Gary Ward, Dwayne McLemore, Kelly Davis, Andrew Haworth, Aubrey Jenkins, Chip Oglesby
-Online Video, Andrew Haworth
-Beat Reporting, John O’Connor
-Enterprise Reporting, Noelle Phillips
-Spot News Reporting, John O’Connor, Gina Smith, Clif LeBlanc, Roddie Burris, Wayne Washington, Erik Campos, Leroy Chapman, Steve Brook
-News Special Section
-Sports Special Section
-Page One Design, Tracy Burlison
-Sports Page Design, Meredith Sheffer
-Photo Page Design, Meredith Sheffer
-Entertainment Section, Betsey Guzior
-News Headline Writing, Linda H. Lamb
-Lifestyle Feature Writing, Noelle Phillips
-Feature Writing, Dawn Hinshaw
-Short Story, Dawn Hinshaw
-Sports Enterprise Reporting, Akilah Imani Nelson
-Sports Feature Writing, Akilah Imani Nelson
-Sports Column, Ron Morris
-General News Photo, Tim Dominick
-Sports Action Photo, Erik Campos
-Sports Feature Photo, C. Aluka Berry
-Photo Series/Photo Story, Gerry Melendez
-Humorous Photo, Tim Dominick
-Pictorial, Gerry Melendez

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

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

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