Beth Sergent
POINT PLEASANT, W.Va. — A familiar face in the tri-county region has been appointed managing editor of Ohio Valley Publishing (OVP).
“We are extremely pleased to have a journalist of Beth’s caliber leading our news team for the three newspapers serving our communities,” Hunt said. “Our readers will benefit from having a local individual as editor. Beth already knows us, knows our area and what’s important to our readers.”
Born in Gallipolis, Ohio, Sergent is a native of Mason County where she resides in Point Pleasant. She has a BLA in English from Marshall University where she graduated cum laude.
“I’m honored to have been given the opportunity to manage my hometown newspapers,” Sergent explained. “Though I live in West Virginia, I have worked in Ohio for many years with family and friends scattered across the various county lines. I want to be a managing editor for all of our OVP readership.”
Sergent’s goals for her tenure as managing editor include getting out into those communities and meeting with readers.
“I think the biggest show of respect you can give someone, is giving them the opportunity to be heard,” she said. “In that process of providing readers with a forum for their concerns, we are providing vital information to the community that can’t be found in any other publications. I want readers to feel like they have a sense of ownership when it comes to their hometown newspapers and I invite submissions of news, including everything from 4-H meetings to family reunions. These community submissions give each newspaper its foundation because they reflect the lives of our readers as they present them to us.”
In terms of news reporting, Sergent promises continued stories which are “hyper-focused” on issues in the counties in which they are relevant.
“I have a great, committed staff and we all know, though there are connections between our communities, each area has its own distinct personality, culture and traditions and those need to be spotlighted in their respective publications,” Sergent said. “My goal is to be a working editor right alongside our OVP reporters and that will include my bylines on the line and regular editorials.”
“For some people, this area has become home and for some, it is the only home they’ve ever known, I am the latter,” Sergent said. “I realize not all the news happens in Gallipolis, Point Pleasant or Pomeroy. I realize news happens at places like RACO yard sales at Star Mill Park in Racine, or along Raccoon Creek in Vinton, or just across the railroad tracks in Ashton. I have found O.O. McIntyre’s grave at Mound Hill Cemetery, I have driven to Reedsville just to see an old friend who rests near Reed’s Country Store, and I’ve covered 10,000 people in one town, on one day, all looking for the Mothman. I already know these places and many others of local note, and that’s more than a running start for a managing editor for OVP.”
Sergent follows Michael Johnson, who resigned this week.
Reach Beth Sergent at [email protected] or at 304-675-1333, ext. 1992.