The Decatur Daily
The Decatur Daily is a daily (five days a week) newspaper serving Decatur, Alabama and the Tennessee Valley in the North Alabama area of the United States. As of September 30, 2006, it had an average daily circulation of 20,824 and a Sunday circulation of 23,840. Along with The Anniston Star, it is one of only two family-owned daily newspapers remaining in Alabama.
 The December 7, 2006 front page of The Decatur Daily | |
| Type | Daily newspaper (except Mondays and Saturdays) |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner(s) | Tennessee Valley Printing Co., Inc. |
| Publisher | Barrett C. "Clint" Shelton III |
| Editor | Bruce McLellan |
| Founded | 1912 |
| Headquarters | 201 1st Avenue SE Decatur, Alabama 35609  |
| Website | decaturdaily.com |
History
For over 100 years, The Decatur Daily has played a major role in the economic and community development of the Tennessee Valley. It was first published on February 26, 1912 under the banner of The Decaturs Daily, serving the towns of Decatur and New Decatur. After 1916, when New Decatur was renamed Albany, the paper was called The Albany-Decatur Daily. When the two towns were consolidated in 1927, it assumed its present title.
The newspaper is published by the Tennessee Valley Printing Co., Inc., formed in 1911. William R. Shelton was the primary owner and first publisher. He served in this capacity until his death in 1924, and was succeeded by his son Barrett C. Shelton, Sr. Barrett C. Shelton, Jr. has been publisher since 1984, and Barrett C. "Clint" Shelton III today serves as general manager.
On April 1, 2009, The Tennessee Valley Printing Company purchased the TimesDaily newspaper in Florence, Alabama, from the New York Times Regional News Group.
In 2018, facing challenges from the switch to digital media and sharp increases in newsprint costs due to a tariff imposed on Canadian newsprint, 'The Decatur Daily' stopped printing editions on Saturdays and Mondays.[1]
Awards
2018 Better Newspaper Contest - Alabama Press Association[2]
| Year | Award | Place | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Best In-Depth News Coverage | 1st | Keith Clines |
| 2018 | Best Photo Essay | 1st | Crystal Vander Weit |
| 2018 | Creative Use of Multimedia | 1st | Crystal Vander Weit, Catherine Godbey |
References
- Shelton, Clint (2 February 2018). "From the publisher: Decatur Daily print edition frequency to change". The Decatur Daily. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
- Langan, Jaclyn. "APA Better Newspaper Contest Award Winners Announced" (PDF). Alabama Press Association. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
- The Decatur Daily Online Edition. "A Brief History of THE DECATUR DAILY" (accessed Nov. 11, 2009).
- Fleischauer, Eric. "Family-owned papers — more than bottom line: DAILY, Anniston Star unique among Alabama publications." The Decatur Daily, August 30, 2004, online edition (retrieved November 18, 2004).
- Audit Bureau of Circulations eCirc (accessed December 5, 2006).
External links
- Official website (Mobile)
- Today's The Decatur Daily front page at the Newseum website