Opinion
Tribune launches daily St. Petersburg edition
By Richard Mullins | Tribune Staff
Published: January 6, 2013
TAMPA - The owners of The Tampa Tribune today launch an edition in Pinellas County called The St. Petersburg Tribune.Published: January 6, 2013
The publication by the Tampa Media Group will publish daily and will be produced by a staff of reporters, editors and photographers in Pinellas County covering local news. The news is available on a Pinellas channel on TBO.com, the region's most visited news site, according to Internet tracker comScore.
"This more clearly demonstrates our belief that every town and local community deserves to have its own focused news coverage and voice," said Tribune Publisher William Barker.
The move marks a return to Pinellas County by the Tribune organization and puts the Tribune in even more direct competition with the rival Tampa Bay Times for regional readers and advertising dollars.
"For several years, Pinellas County readers have asked us to provide them with a community-focused, unbiased source for local news," Tribune Managing Editor Ken Koehn said.
In addition to news coverage, the rival papers differ in editorial perspectives, with the Times taking a more liberal view of many issues and the Tribune taking more moderate to conservative views.
In Hillsborough County later this month, the Tribune is supplementing its local coverage by introducing a "Neighbors" section in three areas, North Hillsborough, east and south county and the city of Tampa, with twice-a-week local sections.
rmullins@tampatrib.com (813) 259-7919