The Intelligencer
WHEELING, W.Va. — Thirty-one years ago, James Spanner began his career as an advertising sales representative at The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register. Starting next month, he’ll return to the region to oversee Wheeling’s two daily newspapers and help lead communities on both sides of the Ohio River as the newspapers’ general manager.
Spanner, a Bellaire native, will take over as general manager of The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register effective Sept. 1. He succeeds the newspapers’ current general manager Perry Nardo, who is retiring at the end of August.
Spanner currently serves as publisher of The News and Sentinel in Parkersburg, West Virginia, and The Marietta Times in Marietta, Ohio. In his new role, he will be responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations of the newspapers in Wheeling.
Spanner has received much acclaim throughout his professional career. In 2022, members of the West Virginia Press Association bestowed upon him the Adam R. Kelly Award, the most prestigious honor for a newspaperman in West Virginia. The award is named after the late Adam R. Kelly, a longtime columnist for The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register who authored the popular “Country Editor” column that for many years provided valuable guidance and insight to readers and the region.
Spanner said the chance to return and lead the newspapers that launched his professional career was just the opportunity he’d been seeking.
