The Daily Gazette

The Daily Gazette, formerly The Schenectady Gazette, is an independently owned daily newspaper based in Schenectady, New York^[1] and mainly covers the counties of Schenectady, Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Fulton, Schoharie, and Montgomery.

The newspaper was formed in 1894 when the Schenectady Printing Association took over a weekly called the Schenectady Gazette and turned it into a daily, renaming it The Daily Gazette in 1895. Despite there being two other city newspapers — the Evening Star and the Union – the Gazette was successful under the leadership of Gerardus Smith, who became the first president of the renamed Daily Gazette Company in March 1899. One of five children of David Cady Smith, the founder in 1837 of a Schenectady law firm, Gerardus also studied law, but he seemed better suited for life as a banker and businessman, and it was his brother Everett who followed their father into the family’s law practice.

Describing itself as “independent in politics,” the Gazette claimed by August 1895 that it had the largest circulation in Schenectady, selling 3,000 papers a day. In 1902, the paper bought a new press and began going by the name of its predecessor, the Schenectady Gazette.

Gerardus Smith was succeeded in 1917 by Austin N. Liecty. The first non-relative to serve as president of the company, his tenure ended in 1945. John G. Green, who married Gerardus Smith’s daughter, Eleanor Smith, followed Liecty in the presidency from 1945 to 1964, and then Eleanor served in that capacity from 1965 to 1983, followed by her nephew John E. N. Hume Jr., from 1983 to 1986. His brother David Hume was president from 1986 until 1993, when John’s son, John E. N. (Jack) Hume III, took over the reins. David Hume's daughter Elizabeth Hume Lind assumed the presidency and son William Hume the vice presidency in 2013.

It was Liecty who in 1924 oversaw the Gazette's purchase of the property on State Street it had been renting since 1899, and on January 4, 1926, the newspaper rolled off the presses with a “new look.” Little was changed in the Gazette's appearance over the next five decades until 1984, when, due to a national change in advertising standards, the newspaper went from eight columns to six.

On December 30, 1989, the newspaper announced it would become The Daily Gazette, reflecting a commitment to regional coverage that began in 1948. The next five years, 1990 to 1995, were also big ones for the newspaper. Along with moving to its current location on Maxon Road Extension, the company purchased a new press, began using color photos, and launched its first Sunday edition on September 9, 1990.

The Daily Gazette was one of the first newspapers in the country to institute a paywall, which limits access to its website to subscribers.

Judith Patrick was named Editor in 2012. She is the first woman in the Gazette's history to hold the position.^[2] The Gazette Board appointed John DeAugustine as Publisher in 2013.^[3]

The Gazette purchased a five unit offset press to replace the older flexography units, which printed its first edition Jan. 28, 2014.^[4] Due to the press change, the paper moved from 121⁄2 inches wide by 223⁄4 inches deep to 111⁄2 inches wide and 22 inches deep.^[5]

Ownership of The Gazette remains with the Hume family — the company is one of the largest privately held newspapers in the state of New York.

Board Chairwoman: Elizabeth Hume Lind

President/Publisher: John DeAugustine

Vice President: William S. Hume

Board of Directors:

Elizabeth Hume Lind: Chairwoman

William S. Hume

James Burke

J. Kenneth Desmond

Michelle Rea

Keven c. Kissling

William McKendree

Kathleen Murray

Tobi Saulnier

Lance Geda: Treasurer

Paula Opal: Secretary

The Gazette has 143 full-time employees.

Editors

1899: Gerardus Smith

1917: Austin N. Liecty

1980: John E.N. Hume 3rd

2012: Judith S. Patrick

References

External links

• Official website (Mobile)