Naples Daily News

When Corbin Wyant arrived at the Naples Daily News as general manager in 1977, circulation stood at 14,000. Today, Wyant is president and publisher, and Naples' leading newspaper the sets the pace as one of the fastest-growing newspapers in the United States, topping 50,000 daily copies, 65,000 on Sundays. The paper is welcomed into three out of four homes in Collier County six days a week (exclusive of Immokalee), nine of 10 homes on Sunday--penetration figures unmatched anywhere in the country.

"Really, the whole thing is a miracle," says Wyant. A miracle that grows from dedication to the local news franchise, business maturity, exceptional staff and daily discourse with readers and advertisers.

"My philosophy is to cover the local news aggressively and as objectively as possible, to be fair, and to provide access," he says. According to Colleen Conant, editor, aggressive means trying to know what the big issues are, being an expert and staying ahead of the news curve. Access means dialing direct to any executive on the staff, including herself and Corbin. Being available for meetings. Or stopping to talk in the grocery store.

Maturity is a theme that runs throughout Wyant's measured conversation. In his world, maturity signals an information product that delivers both a local and metropolitan perspective. Readers can depend on total coverage of local news, as well as good regional, state, national and international news.

Complacency has never played a part in this former reporter's vocabulary. Today, as publisher, Wyant's role is to keep the operation financially solvent while launching forward-looking ventures attuned to public demand.

"Corbin's mission is to deliver news and information any way the public wants to receive it," says Phil Harris, new media director in charge of Naples Daily News Online, the newspaper's latest incarnation. While its electronic predecessor, Audio-Text, continues to deliver bits of information by phone to 40,000 callers a month (topics are regularly listed in the paper's print edition), the on-line paper already is hosting 2,000 to 2,500 visitors a day. They are clicking up an impressive 2.5 million information "hits" each month.

"Corbin is a sound businessman," observes Harris. "He was right in believing that the on-line newspaper would not negatively impact print sales. He also understood that the nature of the Naples market, where people outside the community have an interest in us, offers new opportunities for electronically driven advertising revenue."

In fact, research shows that 80 percent of on-line visitors are seasonal or non-residents. And they, like full-time residents, read the newspaper as much for the advertising as for the news. Duplicate on-line classified ads, including job openings, are included in the price of print ads. Electronic display banner ads are purchased according to a separate cost schedule and link the on-line visitor to the advertiser's own Internet Web site.

Wyant notes that avid users of the Internet tend to be avid readers as well. "It doesn't seem to threaten the future of printed newspapers, and allows our winter residents to continue with us on a daily basis," he says.

This adaptable newsman is in awe of the phenomenal technology changes of just the past decade. "I've been in the newspaper business for almost 40 years, and not a day passes without some new challenge," says Wyant. "The information industry is flourishing. We are here to help the consumer absorb it all. The answer is to edit and present relevant information in a form that is convenient for the consumer."

Conant furthers the theme. "We are responsible for making sense of national and world events on the local level. Whether a story happens in Somalia or City Hall, we must always assess the potential impact on our readers. They depend on us to be their window on the world."

"On-line news keys in on the information needs of the younger set," adds Wyant. "However, over the years I've noticed that all of us become better newspaper readers as we personally mature. Thirty-five years ago I wondered where newspaper readers would be found in 25 years. The answer is that they were found in those same young people who may have not been great newspaper readers at that time. I have every confidence that the current group of young consumers will become consumers of both on-line and printed newspaper products."

That's a big reason the Naples Daily News print edition now offers the Friday Showcase arts and entertainment tab while continuing to key in on seasoned news readers from up north.

"There's nothing more valuable to an advertiser than a strong editorial content," says Conant, "because good strong news product attracts readers, who then also see the advertisements."

Composing attention-getting stories that claim and retain readers' respect is the domain of a quarter of the Naples Daily News staff of 300. The "news hole," which comprises an average 40 percent of the paper, remains consistent throughout the year. While increasing production costs have caused some papers to tighten their news hole, the Naples Daily News team is dedicated to sustaining their traditionally high levels of productivity and editorial quality.

"Staff is the whole answer, in every department. The most important contribution any of us can make is to hire the right people," says Wyant.

Competence, character and abundant energy gets the job done.

Scripps Howard, also known as E.W. Scripps Company, has owned the Naples Daily News since 1986, and its sister paper, the Bonita Banner since 1987.

Scripps keeps its outlets independent while offering valuable central resources. A large Washington, D.C., bureau feeds member papers with breaking national and international news. Two more sister papers in Florida share a Tallahassee correspondent for state issues. The Banner's ability to share and synchronize staff, administrative services, and production facilities with Naples keeps the color presses rolling cost-effectively while granting the semi-weekly Banner award-winning advantages. In 1997, the Florida Press Association again recognized the Banner for general excellence.

Media watchers are amazed at the attention accorded Bonita Springs newsmakers. From Wyant's spirited perspective, the community is a consumer's paradise. "If someone sneezes in Bonita, they're likely to be covered by three papers," he says.

Whereas most weeklies stagger deadlines through the week to meet production schedules, the Banner and sister Marco Islander can be much more timely. Wyant has published a string of daily and weekly papers in concert, including Punta Gorda's Daily Herald News and the weekly Englewood Herald just before being recruited to the Naples market.

Naples Daily News is a flagship of E.W. Scripps' 22 dailies and 10 large-market television stations. Within the family, its advertising and cir