News of any newspaper debut in this age of the Internet is welcome news, but a conservative newspaper is icing on the cake.
The former publisher of The Tribune-Democrat newspaper in Johnstown, Pa., recently announced plans to launch a conservative monthly newspaper for Pennsylvania.
News of any newspaper debut in this age of the Internet is welcome news, but a conservative newspaper is icing on the cake.
The mainstream media is dominated by liberals. Pennsylvania is no exception. The only two openly conservative newspapers in Pennsylvania are The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and the The Evening Bulletin in Philadelphia.
The rest of the state's newspapers are varying shades of liberalism and support for the Democratic Party. (Somebody should do a study to see how many Democratic Party candidates have been endorsed by the state’s newspapers over the past decade.)
Chris Voccio is calling his new venture The Pennsylvania Republican, but he is taking great pains to make sure people understand that the newspaper is independent of the Republican Party.
"There are so many conservative groups in Pennsylvania, each of them trying to foster a Commonwealth with more economic freedom and sound conservative ideals," Voccio said in announcing his new venture. "The Pennsylvania Republican will be their champion, promoting the ideas of limited government, lower taxes, less government regulation, and the general idea of liberty."
Content will come from various sources, and will include commentary, analysis, and articles of interest to conservatives, Voccio said.
The newspaper expects to publish its first edition in December from offices in Johnstown.
Voccio has already launched a companion Web site, PennRepublican, at www.pennrepublican.com
Voccio, who moved to Pennsylvania in 2004 to manage the Johnstown newspaper, says there is a market for such a publication, citing research by political observer Terry Madonna of Franklin & Marshall showing 32 percent of Pennsylvanian's identify themselves as conservative.
Readership goals are modest. Voccio hopes to attract a minimum of 900 subscribers before launching The Pennsylvania Republican. The newspaper won't "break even" until it has 14,625 readers, according to its Web site.
Subscription and advertising information is available at the Web site. (There's a deep discount if you subscribe by Nov. 15, 2007)
Best wishes to Mr. Voccio and his staff. Pennsylvania needs more conservative voices.
Tony Phyrillas is a leading conservative political columnist and blogger based in Pennsylvania. He is a veteran journalist with 25 years experience as a reporter, editor and columnist for several newspapers. Phyrillas received recognition for column writing in 2010 from the Associated Press Managing Editors, in 2007 from Suburban Newspapers of America and in 2006 from the Society of Professional Journalists, Keystone Chapter. A graduate of Penn State University, Phyrillas is the city editor and political columnist for The Mercury, a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning daily newspaper in Pottstown, Pa. In addition to The Mercury website (www.pottsmerc.com), his columns are featured on more than a dozen political websites and blogs. Phyrillas is a frequent guest (and occasional host) on talk radio and has been a panelist on the "Journalists Roundtable" public affairs TV program on the Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN). Phyrillas was named one of the '10 Leading Greek-American Bloggers in the World' in 2007 by Odyssey: The World of Greece magazine. BlogNetNews.com ranked Phyrillas the Most Influential Political Blogger in Pennsylvania for three consecutive years (2007-2010). You can follow Phyrillas on Twitter @TonyPhyrillas
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