The Virginian-Pilot, which sold its downtown Norfolk flagship office building where it has told Hampton Roads’ stories for nearly 83 years, is moving its headquarters to Newport News.
The newspaper will move into space already leased by its related publication, the Daily Press, also owned by Tribune Publishing, at City Center at Oyster Point.
Par Ridder, the newspaper’s interim general manager for Tribune, made the announcement to staff Tuesday morning.
Ridder had indicated months prior when the building at 150 W. Brambleton was put up for sale that the company’s goal was to lease office space in the vicinity of downtown Norfolk. Tribune had zeroed in on a nearby office, but as it looked to cut costs companywide, the strategy shifted to moving employees to the company’s existing office space, Ridder said.
Ridder and Kris Worrell, editor in chief of the combined Pilot and Daily Press newsrooms, said there will also be space made available for reporters, editors and advertising staff to work at its Virginia Beach printing press plant.
“This is going to be a challenge for us internally,” Worrell said. When asked what it would mean for the 154-year-old mainstay to leave its Norfolk home after so long, Worrell said the publication remains an institution and “being an institution is more than a building.” It’s less about where a newsroom staff plugs in laptops and more about coverage of Hampton Roads communities, she said.
“We are committed to covering the areas in our footprint,” she said.
Sara Gregory, The Pilot’s education reporter and chairwoman of the combined papers’ labor union, Tidewater Media Guild, said, “Pilot journalists are dedicated to covering South Hampton Roads, and we’ll find a way to keep our community informed wherever we’re located. We just wish the company would give us the resources we need to do that well.”
The company recently accepted buyout offers from 20 reporters and editors at the combined newspapers.
In November, newspaper-owning hedge fund Alden Global Capital acquired a 32% stake in Tribune Publishing after buying out the largest shareholder at the time. A management shakeup in Tribune’s corporate headquarters in Chicago earlier this month resulted in CEO Tim Knight’s resignation and the promotion of the company’s chief financial officer, Terry Jimenez, to the top job.
In a press release announcing those changes, Jimenez said, “We will continue working to position the company to navigate the industry-wide challenges while continuing to serve our communities with high-quality journalism. We are committed to delivering high-quality products to our customers and clients while also continuing to improve the financial results and value of the company.”
Tribune Publishing made an annual profit of $249.6 million in 2018, the same year it sold The Los Angeles Times. It made a $5.5 million profit in 2017 and a $6.5 million profit in 2016 after losing $2.8 million in 2015.
In addition to The Pilot and the Daily Press, Tribune owns the Chicago Tribune, New York Daily News, Orlando Sentinel, The Baltimore Sun and The Capital in Annapolis, The Hartford Courant in Connecticut, and The Morning Call in Pennsylvania.
Tribune, then known as Tronc, bought The Pilot in May 2018 for $34 million from Frank Batten Jr.’s Landmark Communications Inc.
The Virginian-Pilot started in 1865 as the Norfolk Virginian which later merged with the Daily Pilot. Batten’s father became publisher of the paper in 1954.
Tribune sold the newspaper’s downtown headquarters last month to an apartment developer for $9.5 million.
Ridder said he expects The Pilot to move out of downtown Norfolk before the end of April.
