The Roanoke Times building, where The Times doesn't live any longer.

A New Look and Direction from The Times

A note from Editor Brian Kelly in today's Roanoke Times indicates that the region's largest newspaper is consolidating, combining and ultimately shrinking coverage. The explanation is here. 

Kelly writes that the front section of the paper (including Page 1) will be all-local and that following it immediately will be what has been the Virginia section (which was local). Editorial (run by Kelly while the paper looks for an editor to replace the departed Dwayne Yancey who is leaving for a "new venture in journalism," according to Kelly) will follow that.

Kelly says the editorial page will be "picking up editorials from sister papers in Virginia." That suggests there will be no Roanoke-created editorials until a new editor is in place.

Sports will retain a position of prominence. The features department will be minimized, having a section front only two days a week. 

I'm wondering how "local" the front section can be with all the departures in the newsroom in the past months and years. Already "local" coverage has meant stories from Fredericksburg, Lynchburg, Bristol, Richmond, Martinsville, Danville and the like where the owner of The Times has other papers and stories can be shared among them. 

I honestly don't anticipate more local--meaning Roanoke Valley/New River Valley--coverage. It will simply be a different presentation of what is now being run, a re-packaging, if you please. Lipstick on a pig, perhaps.

Dwayne Yancey's departure has yet to be fully explained (he's promised me a full explanation very soon), but Kelly's hint gives some credence to a response to a Facebook post of mine last week. The guy responding ventured that Dwayne would be joining James Madison University to teach journalism. Sounds reasonable, but we'll wait and see. Dwayne is not a man without options and his aging parents live in the Harrisonburg area.