The Daily Progress

The Daily Progress is the sole daily newspaper in the vicinity of Charlottesville, Virginia. It has been published continuously since 1892. According to the newspaper history published in the 75th anniversary edition in September, 1967, the paper was founded by James Lindsay. Lindsay's family owned it for 79 years, until the sale to the Worrell Newspaper group which took over on January 1, 1971.

Worrell, of Bristol, Virginia, owned about two dozen rural weekly newspapers and a few dailies, all with less circulation than the Daily Progress. The DP immediately became the group's flagship paper, and T. Eugene Worrell moved his newspaper group headquarters to Charlottesville. He led his family, especially his son, Tom, into becoming an important source of local philanthropy. Among their contributions was Tom's multi-million dollar nest egg from which The Thomas Jefferson Center For the Protection of Free Expression was created.

Worrell and his wife, Anne, were also major contributors to his North Carolina alma mater, Wake Forest University, which Worrell had attended in 1936 as recipient of a debating scholarship, according to a Wake Forest news release at the time of Worrell's death April 20, 2006.

Faced with major newspaper industry change, Worrell sold his newspaper properties to Richmond-based Media General as a part of a larger $230M deal in 1995. Media General still owns it.

In the 21st century, Media General sold the Prog's printing press, and reorganized its operations to print multiple newspapers from other printing plants it controlled. Later it sold the Albemarle County newspaper office building and leased it back.

References

Daily Progress 75th Anniversary Edition; historical notes of Rey Barry, a contemporary reporter and columnist.

External links

• History of Media General