Falls Church News-Press Explained

Falls Church News-Press
Type:Weekly newspaper (Thursdays)
Format:Tabloid
Owners:Benton Communications, Inc.
Publisher:Nicholas Benton
Chiefeditor:Nicholas Benton
Foundation:1991
Language:English
Headquarters:105 N. Virginia Avenue, Suite 310, Falls Church, VA 22046
Circulation:9,900
Circulation Date:2021
Circulation Ref:[1]
Oclc:37046234

The Falls Church News-Press is a weekly newspaper in Falls Church, Virginia. The periodical was founded in 1991 by Owner/Editor-in-Chief Nicholas F. Benton.

The newspaper was named CityPaper's "Best Remnant of the Liberal Media" for 2008.[2]

Origins

Nicholas F. Benton grew up in California and moved to Falls Church in the late 1980s after getting a hired as a White House correspondent with Executive Intelligence Review. A few years later Benton started Falls Church News-Press in March 1991.[3]

A hometown author, writing about the importance of commitment to his the local community, says "... [Nick] Benton drove into Falls Church one day in 1991 and said, “this town needs a newspaper,” and day after day for 30 years, he has produced that newspaper every week."[4]

Content

Along with its weekly coverage of local affairs over 30 years, the paper keeps up with the effect local news has on matters with national importance, though not always with widespread approval.[5] For example, when the namesake Falls Church was the subject of a contentious split in the Episcopalian/Anglican denomination, the News-Press reported the details.[6]

In 2011, when White House reporter Helen Thomas retired from Hearst Newspapers amid controversy, she became a columnist for the News-Press.[7]

Circulation

The News-Press claims a free circulation of 10,000.[8] It is delivered in Bailey's Crossroads, Sleepy Hollow, Pimmit Hills, Lake Barcroft, and City of Falls Church regions.[9]

In 2024, the newspaper introduced a $10 a month paywall and a pilot program to deliver papers by mail instead of dedicated delivery routes.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2021Virginia Press Virginia Press Directory . 2023-04-24 . vpa.net.
  2. Web site: Toporek. Bryan. The Life and Times of Nicholas F. Benton. https://web.archive.org/web/20081017080610/http://journalism.georgetown.edu/benton1.htm. October 17, 2008. Georgetown Journalism.
  3. Web site: Jarvis . James . 2024-04-10 . Falls Church News-Press planning paywall to save print legacy amid financial struggles . 2024-04-11 . ARLnow.com Arlington, Va. local news . en.
  4. Book: Davis, Pete . 2021 . Dedicated: The Case for Commitment in an Age of Infinite Browsing . New York . Avid Reader Press . 177.
  5. Web site: Wemple . Erik . July 6, 2011 . Helen Thomas and the Falls Church News-Press. What? . January 15, 2023 . Washington Post.
  6. Web site: Benton . Nicholas F. . May 23, 2012 . Anglicans Hand Keys of Historic Falls Church to Episcopalians . January 24, 2023 . Falls Church News-Press.
  7. Web site: January 6, 2011 . Helen Thomas Joins Falls Church News-Press . January 15, 2023 . ARLNow.
  8. Web site: 2021 Falls Church News-Press Media Kit . August 4, 2021 . Falls Church News-Press.
  9. Web site: August 9, 2006 . Advertising in the Falls Church News-Press . January 31, 2020 . Falls Church News-Press.